973-7L63 
Bv46L 

Vaughn,  Olive 

The  Life  of  Abraham  Lincoln  as  Told  in  Pict- 
ures. 


LINCOLN  ROOM 

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LIBRARY 


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the  Class  of  1901 


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HARLAN  HOYT  HORNER 

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SIONITH  JO  AllSHJAINfl 
3N1  JO 

Auvaan 


The  Man   of   the   Ages 


THE  LIFE  OF 

ABRAHAM  LINCOLN 


As  Told 


m~ 


Pictures 


BY 


OLIVE  VAUGHN 


THE  STATLER  PRESS 

JOHNSTOWN,    PA. 


THE  STATLER   PRESS 
COPYRIGHT,    1925. 


BvH(*X 


LINCOLNS  MOVE  TO  HODGENSVILLE 


Abraham    Lincoln's    Mother — Abe    Rescued    from   Drowning 

THOMAS  LINCOLN  either  failed  to  earn  sufficient  money  to  meet 
his  household  expenses  or  grew  tired  of  his  carpenter  work,  for 
two  years  later,  he  left  Elizabethtown,  and  moved  his  family  to  his 
farm  near  Hodgensville,  on  the  Big  South  Fork  of  Nolen  Creek.  It 
was  a  miserable  place,  of  thin,  unproductive  soil  and  only  partly 
cleared.     The  cabin  was  of  the  rudest  sort,  with  a  single  room,  a  single 

window,  a  big  fire  place 
and  a  huge  outside  chim- 
ney. In  this  cabin,  Abra- 
ham Lincoln  was  born  on 
February  12,  1809,  and 
here  he  spent  the  first 
four  years  of  his  child- 
hood. A  third  child, 
Thomas,  was  born  here 
also,  but  died  when  three 
days  old. 

At  the  time  of  her 
marriage  to  Thomas 
Lincoln,  Nancy  Hanks 
was  in  her  twenty-third 
year.  She  was  a  sweet- 
tempered  and  handsome 
woman,  of  intellect,  appearance,  and  character  superior  to  her  position. 
She  could  read  and  write, — an  accomplishment  very  rare  among  the 
women  of  that  day.  She  taught  her  husband  to  write  his  name.  Mrs. 
Lincoln  took  great  pains  to  teach  her  children  what  she  knew,  and  at 
her  knee,  they  heard  all  the  Bible  lore,  fairy  tales,  and  country  legends 
that  she  had  been  able  to  gather  in  her  short  life. 

One  Sunday  a  neighbor  visited  the  Lincolns,  bringing  along    her 
young  boy.     Abe  Lincoln  and  the  young  visitor  concluded  to  hunt  for 

some  partridges  which  Abe  had 
seen  the  day  before.  While 
crossing  a  creek  on  a  narrow 
foot-log,  Abe  fell  in.  Neither  of 
them  could  swim.  The  companion 
got  a  stick,  held  it  out,  and  Abe 
grabbed  it,  and  was  pulled  ashore. 
That  their  parents  might  not 
know  of  their  adventure,  the  boys, 
before  returning  .home,  dried 
their  clohting  by  spreading  it  on 
the  rocks  about  them.  It  was 
.Time  and  the  sun  was  very  warm. 


Listening   to    Mother's   Stories 


Abe    Rescued   from    Drowning 


LIFE  OF  LINCOLN  IN  PICTURES 


Life   in   Hodgensville — Little   Abe   Meets    the    Soldier 

OCCASIONALLY  a  preacher  came  to  the  meeting-house  at  Little 
Mound,  near  Hodgensville,  to  hold  services  on  Sunday.  The  build- 
ing was  a  log  structure,  without  a  floor  or  glass  for  windows,  and  logs 
split  in  halves  were  used  for  seats.  It  was  built  by  public-spirited  resi- 
dents of  Hodgensville.  To  this  meeting-house,  located  three  miles 
from  the  Lincoln  home,  settlers  came  far  and  near,  on  foot  and  on 
horseback.  People  came  here  not 
only  for  religious  services,  but  also 
to  get  the  news  of  what  was  going 
on  in  the  community  and  the  world 
outside  of  Nolin's  Creek.  Abraham 
Lincoln,  with  his  parents,  regularly 
attended  these  meetings,  and,  after 
reaching  home,  he  usually  mounted 
a  stool  and  preached  a  sermon  of 
his  own,  attempting  to  imitate  the 
minister.      He    especially   liked    the  The  Meeting-House 

Rev.  David  Elkin,  and  the  two  became  fast  friends.  Lincoln's  first 
teacher  was  Zachariah  Riney,  a  Roman  Catholic  priest,  who  travelled 
through  the  settlements  teaching  a  few  weeks  at  a  place.  The  meet- 
ing-house served  also  for  a  school  house.  The  only  book  used  was  a 
spelling  book. 

As  soon  as  Abe  was  strong  enough  to    follow    his    father    in    the 

fields,  he  was  put  to  work  at 
simple  tasks; — bringing  tools,  car- 
rying water,  picking  berries, 
dropping  seeds.  However,  very 
little  is  known  of  Lincoln's  child- 
hood, except  that  it  was  of  con- 
tinual privation,  for  Thomas 
Lincoln  evidently  found  it  diffi- 
cult to  supply  his  family  with 
food  and  clothing.  Lincoln  sel- 
dom talked  of  those  days  even  to 
his  most  intimate  friends.  Once, 
when  asked  what  he  remembered 
about  the  war  of  1812,  he  replied: 
"Nothing  but  this.  I  had 
been  fishing  one  day  and  I  caught 
a  little  fish  which  I  was  taking 
home.  I  met  a  soldier  on  the  road, 
and,  having  been  told  at  home 
that  we  must  be  good  to  the  sol- 
diers, I  gave  him  my  fish." 


Abe   and    the   Soldier 


THE  LINCOLNS  MOVE  TO  INDIANA 


The  Pioneers  Blaze  Their  Way  Through  the  Wilderness 

WHEN  Abraham  Lincoln  was  about  seven  years  old,  his  father 
became  restless  and  went  across  the  river  into  Indiana  to  look 
for  a  new  home.  It  is  said  that  the  motive  of  his  removal  was  his 
difficulty  in  securing  a  valid  title  to  his  land  in  Kentucky.  He  found  a 
purchaser  for  his  farm  who  gave  him  in  payment  twenty  dollars  in 
money  and  ten  barrels  of  whiskey,  which  Thomas  Lincoln  loaded  upon 
a  flat-boat,  with  his  household  furniture,  floating  it  down  Knob  Creek 
to  the  Ohio  River.  The  boat  was  built  in  a  very  crude  manner  by  Lin- 
coln himself,  and  upset  on  the  way  down  the  Ohio,  and  part  of  the 
whiskey  and  some  of  his  carpenter  tools  were  lost.  He  fished  up  a 
few  of  the  tools  and  most  of  the  whiskey,  and,  righting  the  little  boat, 
again  floated  down  to  a  landing  at  Thompson's  Ferry,  two  and  a 
half  miles  west  of  Troy,  in  Perry  County,  Indiana.  He  plunged 
into  the  forest,  found  a  location  that  suited  him  sixteen  miles  from 
the  river,  called  Pigeon  Creek,  where  he  left  his  property  with  a  set- 
tler. He  sold  his  boat,  and  walked  back  to  Hodgensville  to  get  his  wife 
and  two  children.  He  secured  a  wagon  and  two  horses,  in  which  he  car- 
ried his  family  and  whatever  household   effects  were  then   remaining. 

the    Lincolns    had    to    make    their    way 
wilderness.     There  was  no  road,  and  for 
a  foot-trail.     They  suffered  long  delays, 
wagon  with  the  axe.     They  were  slightly 
nights,      and      cooked      their 
own   food.      At   length,   after 
many    detentions     and     diffi- 
culties,   the    settlers    reached 
the    '  point     where       Thomas 


To  reach  the  new  home, 
through  an  almost  untrodden 
part  of  the  distance  not  even 
and  cut  out  a  passage  for  the 
assisted  by  a  path  of  a 
few    miles    in     length 
which    had    been 
"blazed     out"     by     an 
earlier    settler.      They 
camped  out  during  the 


Lincoln 

in- 

tended 

to 

N 

make    his 

fu- 

1% 

ture  home. 

Camping  for  the  Nipht  on   the  Journey 


10 


LIFE  OF  LINCOLN  IN  PICTURES 


The  Lincoln  Home  in   Indiana 


Second   Home    in    Indiana 


HOMAS   LIN- 
COLN'S     loca- 
tion in  Indiana  was 
a    piece    of    timber 
land  a  mile    and    a 
half  east  of  what  is 
now       Gentryville, 
Spencer    County. 
Upon  arriving  there, 
Lincoln   built   a   log 
cabin  fourteen  feet  square,  open  to 
the  weather  on  one  side,  and  without 
windows     or     chimney.       This     was 
Abraham   Lincoln's   third   home,   and' 
the  family  lived  in  that  rude,  primi- 
tive way  for  more  than  a  year,  man- 
aging to  raise  a  patch  of  corn  and  a 


few  vegetables   during  the  following 
summer,  which,  with  corn  meal  ground  at 
a  hand  grist-mill   seven   miles  away,  were 
their  chief  food. 

The  cabin  which  took  the  place  of  this 
"half-face  camp"  had  but  one  room,  with 
a  loft  above.  For  a  long  time  there  were 
no  windows,  doors  or  floor.  The  furniture 
was  of  their  own  manufacture.  The  table 
and  chairs  were  of  the  rudest  sort — rough 
slabs  of  wood  in  which  holes  were  bored 
and  legs  fitted  in.  Their  bedstead  was 
made  of  poles  held  up  by  two  outer  posts, 
and  the  ends  made  firm  by  inserting  the 
poles  in  auger  holes  which  had  been  bored 
in  a  log  which  was  part  of  the  wall  of  the 
cabin;  skins  were  its  chief  covering.  Lit- 
tle Abraham  slept  on  a  heap  of  dry  leaves 
in  the  corner  of  the  loft,  to  which  he 
mounted  by  pegs  driven  into  the  wall.  The 
Lincolns  made  their  own  coap  and  candles, 
and  if  they  had  cotton  or  wool  to  wear 
they  had  literally  to  grow  it.  Young 
Abraham  wore  little  cotton  or  linsey- 
woolsey.  His  trousers  were  of  roughly 
tanned  deer-skin,  his  feet-covering  a  home- 
made moccasin,  and  his  cap  a  coon-skin.  Abe  Going  to  Bed 


A  STEPMOTHER  COMES  TO  THE  LINCOLN  HOME 


11 


Abe   and    His    Sister 


Death   of    Lincoln's    Sister — His    School    Masters 

THE  death  of  Mrs. 
Lincoln  left  the  child 
Sarah,  then  only  eleven 
years  old,  to  care  for  the 
household.  Sarah,  or 
Nancy,  as  she  was  some- 
times called,  was  warmly 
attached  to  her  brother. 
It  is  said  that  her  face 
somewhat  resembled  his. 
She  was  a  modest,  plain, 
industrious  girl.  Like 
Abe,  she  occasionally 
worked  out  at  the  homes 
of  the  neighbors.  She 
was  married  to  Aaron 
Grisby  at  eighteen,  and 
died  a  year  after.  She 
lies  buried  in  the  yard  of 
the  old  Pigeon  Creek 
Meeting-house. 

About  a  year  after  Mrs.  Lincoln's  death,  Thomas  Lincoln  returned 
to  Hodgensville,  and  married  Sally  Bush  Johnson,  a  widow  with  three 
children,  whom  he  had  courted  before  he  had  married  Nancy  Hanks.  She 
brought  with  her  a  wagon  of  housekeeping  things,  tables,  chairs,  knives 
and  forks,  bedding,  clothing  and  linen — things  that  were  unfamiliar  to 
Abraham  and  his  sister.  The  new  Mrs.  Lincoln  took  up  the  duties  and 
labors  of  the  day  with  a  cheerful  readiness  that  was  long  and  gratefully 
remembered  by  her  step-son. 

Hugh  Dorsey  was  Lincoln's  first  teacher  in  Indiana.  It  was  cus- 
tomary in  those  days  for  the 
school  master  to  travel  from  place 
to  place,  teaching  only  a  few 
weeks  at  each  settlement.  Here 
he  held  forth  a  mile  and  a  half 
from  the  Lincoln  farm.  The 
school  house  was  built  of  round 
logs,  and  was  just  high  enough 
for  a  man  to  stand  erect  under 
the  loft.  The  next  teacher  was 
Andrew  Crawford,  who  had 
moved  into  that  region.  He 
taught  in  the  same  school-house, 
in  which  Dorsey  labored. 


The    Traveling 
School   Master 


12 


LIFE  OF  LINCOLN  IN  PICTURES 


Grave  of  Nancy  Hanks 


The   Death   of   Lincoln's   Mother 

THE  loss  of  his  mother  in  1818,  when 
he  was  nine  years  old,  was  the  first 
great  grief  of  Abraham  Lincoln.  She  be- 
came a  victim  of  that  dread  disease  com- 
mon in  the  West  in  early  days,  and  known 
then  as  "the  milk-sickness."  She  was  ill 
only  seven  days.  As  the  end  approached, 
she  called  her  children  to  her  side,  and 
placing  her  feeble  hand  on  little  Abe's 
head,  she  told  him  to  be  good  and  kind  to 
his  father  and  sister;  to  both  she  said,  "Be 
good  to  one  another,"  expressing  hope 
that  they  might  live,  as  they  had  been 
taught  by  her,  to  love  their  kindred  and  worship  God. 

In  those  days,  the  funeral  sermon  was  preached  any  time  within 
the  year  following  the  death  of  the  person.  After  his  mother  was 
buried  in  the  woods  near  Gentryville,  Lincoln  labored  over  his  first  let- 
ter which  was  to  a  Kentucky  Baptist  preacher  who  had  stayed  with  the 
Lincolns  in  their  Kentucky  home.  It  was  a  great  favor  to  ask  the 
good  man  to  journey  to  Indiana  and  preach  a  sermon  over  the  grave 
of  Nancy  Hanks  Lincoln,  for  it  would  take  him  more  than  one  hundred 
miles  from  his  work.     However,    during    the    following    summer,    the 

preacher  came  on 
his  errand  of  kind- 
ness. Men,  women 
and  children,  from 
far  and  near, 
gathered  to  hear 
the  funeral  ser- 
mon. Abraham 
listened  to  the 
Treacher  telling  of 
the  virtues  and 
the  patiently-born 
sufferings  of  the 
departed  mother, 
and  that  scene 
was  never  forgot- 
ten. In  later  years, 
Lincoln  said,  "I 
owe  all  that  I  am 
or  hope  to  be  to 
my         sainted 

The  Belated   Funeral   Sermon  mother." 


LIFE  AT  CENTRYVILLE 


IS 


Always  a  Welcome  Visitor 


Abraham  a   Good  Worker  and  Popular 

LINCOLN  was  always  welcomed 
at  the  homes  of  his  neighbors. 
One  of  these  said  of  him:  "Abe 
would  come  out  to  our  house, 
drink  milk,  eat  mush,  corn  bread 
and  butter,  bring  the  children 
candy,  and  rock  the  cradle  while 
I  got  him  something  to  eat.  I 
mended  his  pants,  and  made  his 
shirts.  He  would  tell  stories,  juke 
people,  girls  and  boys,  at 
parties." 

As  Lincoln  grew  older,  be  be- 
came one  of  the  most  popular 
"hands"  in  the  vicinity  of  Gentry- 
ville,  and  most  of  his  time  was 
spent  as  a  hired  boy  on  some 
neighbor's  farm.  For  twenty-five  cents  a  day — paid  to  his  father — he 
was  hostler,  ploughman,  wood  chopper,  and  carpenter,  besides  helping 
the  women  with  the  "chores."  For  them  he  was  ready  to  carry  water, 
make  the  fire,  even  tend  the  baby.  It  is  said  that  he  could  strike  with 
the  maul  heavier  blows  than  anybody  else  in  the  community. 

Abraham  liked  to  go  to  the  mill  best.  The  machinery  was  primi- 
tive, and  each  man  waited  his  turn,  which  sometimes  was  long  in  com- 
ing. This  waiting  with  other  men  and  boys  on  like  errands  gave  an 
opportunity  for  talk,  story  telling,  and  games,  which  were  Lincoln's 
delight.  Abraham  was  of  good  service  to  his  father.  He  helped  him 
make  the  first  clearing,  and  never  allowed  to  drop  the  axe  until  he  was 
twenty-two  years  old.  He  drove  the  team,  cut  the  elm  and  linn  brush 
with  which  the  stock  was  fed,  learned  to  handle  the  old  shovel-plough, 
to  wield  the  sickle,  to  thrash  the 
wheat  with  a  flail,  to  fan  and  clean 
it  with  a  sheet,  to  go  to  mill  and 
turn  the  hard-earned  grist  into 
flour.  His  father  also  taught  him 
the  rudiments  of  carpentry  and 
cabinet- making. 

If  Abraham  Lincoln's  life  was 
rough  and  hard  The  rude  house- 
hold was  overflowing  with  life. 
There  were  Abraham  and  his  sis- 
ter, a  stepbrother  and  two  step- 
sisters, and  Dennis  Hanks,  a  cou- 
sin  Of  Lincoln's  mother.  A    Popular    "Chore"    Boy 


14 


LIFE  OF  LINCOLN  IN  PICTURES 


Lincoln  Works   for  the  Crawfords. 


AMONG  those  whom  Lincoln 
served  in  Indiana  as  ''hired 
boy"  was  Josiah  Crawford,  a  well- 
to-do  farmer  living  near  Gentry- 
ville.  His  sister  also  worked  in 
the  same  home.  During  the  sum- 
mer, Lincoln  worked  in  the  fields 
as  a  farm  hand,  receiving  twenty- 
five  cents  a  day,  which  was  paid 
to  his  father.  One  of  the  things 
he  was  required  to  do  while  in 
Crawford's  employ  was  "daubing" 
the  cabin,  which  was  built  of  un- 
hewn logs  with  the  bark  on.  In 
the  loft  of  this  house,  thus  fin- 
ished with  his  own  hands,  Lincoln 
slept  for  many  weeks  at  a  time. 
He  spent  his  evenings,  as  he  did 
at  home,  writing  on  wooden 
shovels  and  boards.  This  family 
was  rich  in  the  possession  of  sev- 
eral books,  which  Abe  read 
through  time  and  again. 

The  Crawfords  owned  a  copy  of  "Weems's  Life  of  Washington," 
a  rare  book  in  those  days,  and  Abe  borrowed  it  to  read.  Late  at  night, 
before  going  to  bed,  he  placed  the  borrowed  book  between  two  logs  of 
the  walls  of  the  cabin,  and  then  went  to  bed.  During  the  night,  it 
rained,  the  water  dripping  over  the  "mud  daubing"  on  the  book 
stained  the  leaves  and  warped  the  binding.  Lincoln  returned  the  book 
in  fear  and  trembling,  asking  how  he  might  hope  to  make  restitution. 
Crawford  answered,  "Being  it  is  you,  Abe,  I  won't  be  hard  on  you. 
Come  over  and  shuck  corn  for  three  days,  and  the  book  is  yours." 
Lincoln  felt  he  was  getting  a  wonderful  present,  and  he  became  the 
owner  of  the  coveted  volume. 

Another  book  that  fell  into 
young  Lincoln's  hands  about  this 
time  was  a  copy  of  the  "Revised 
Statutes  of  Indiana."  This  book 
opened  with  the  Declaration  of 
Independence,  and  following  this 
was  the  Constitution  of  the  United 
States.  It  was  a  remarkable 
volume  for  the  thoughtful  lad. 
He  read  the  book  intently.  The   Crawford    House 


Lincoln    a    Farm    Hand 


LINCOLN  A  FERRYMAN 


15 


Earns   His   First   Dollar 


He   Earns   His    First   Dollar 

WHEN  Lincoln  was  sixteen  he 
operated  a  ferry-boat  at 
the  mouth  of  Anderson's  Creek, 
transporting  passengers  across 
the  Ohio  River,  and  it  was  there 
that  he  earned  the  first  money 
that  he  could  call  his  own.  Two 
men  with  trunks  came  down  to 
the  shore  in  carriages  to  board  a 
steamer  which  had  stopped  some 
distance  from  the  shore.  Look- 
ing over  the  different  boats,  the 
men  asked,  "Who  owns  this?" 
Lincoln  modestly  replied,  "I  do." 
"Will  you,"  said  one  of  them, 
"Take  us  out  to  the  steamer?" 
"Certainly,"  said  Lincoln. 

The  trunks  were  put  on  the  boat,    the    passengers    seated    them- 
selves   on    them,    and    Lincoln    sculled    them    out     to     the     steamer. 

When  the  trunks  and  passengers 
were  on  board,  and  the  steamer 
about  to  put  on  steam  again, 
Lincoln  called  out,  "You  have 
forgotten  to  pay  me."  Each  of 
them  took  from  his  pocket  a  silver 
half-dollar,  and  threw  it  on  the 
bottom  of  the  ferryman's  boat. 
In  telling  the  incident  years  after- 
ward, Lincoln  said,  "I  could 
hardly  believe  my  eyes  as  I  picked 
up  the  money.  I  could  scarcely 
credit  that  I,  the  poor  boy,  had 
earned  a  dollar  in  less  than  a 
day;  that  by  honest  work  I  had 
earned  a  dollar.  I  was  a  more 
hopeful  and  thoughtful  boy  from 
that  time." 

While  a  ferryman,  Lincoln 
spent  his  leisure  reading,  com- 
mitting to  memory  many  pas- 
sages from  the  books  he  had  read. 


Practicing    Speaking 


16 


LINCOLN  MOVES  TO  ILLINOIS 


The    Lincoln    Family    Leave    Indiana.      Abe    Rescues    a 
Dog   on   the   Journey. 

The  Rescue  I  N  1830,  Thomas  Lincoln  became 

1  dissatisfied  with  his  location  in 
Indiana,  and  hearing  favorable 
reports  of  the  prairie  lands 
of  Illinois,  hoped  for  better  for- 
tunes there.  He  parted  with  his 
farm  and  prepared  for  the  jour- 
ney to  Macon  County,  Illinois. 
Abe  visited  the  neighbors  and 
bade  them  good-bye;  but  in  the 
morning  selected  for  their  de- 
parture, when  it  came  time  to 
start,  he  was  missing.  He  was 
found  weeping  at  his  mother's 
grave,  whither  he  had  gone  as 
soon  as  it  was  light.  The  thought 
of  leaving  her  behind  filled  him 
with  unspeakable  anguish.  The 
household  goods  were  loaded,  the 
oxen  yoked,  the  family  got  into 
the  covered  wagon,  and  Lincoln  took  his  place  by  the  oxen  to  drive. 
Among  other  things  which  the  Lincolns  brought  with  them  was  a 
pet  dog  which  trotted  along  after  the  wagon.  One  day  the  little  fellow 
fell  behind  and  failed  to  catch  up  until  they  had  crossed  the  stream. 
Missing  him,  they  looked  back,  and  there  on  the  opposite  bank  he  stood, 
whining  and  jumping  about  in  great  distress.  The  water  was  running 
over  the  broken  edges  of  the  ice,  and  the  poor  animal  was  afraid  to 
cross.  Lincoln,  pulling  off  his  shoes  and  socks,  waded  across  the  stream, 
and  returned  with  the  shivering  animal  under  his  arm.  He  said  he 
could  not  endure  the  idea  of  abandoning  even  a  dog. 


LIFE  OF  LINCOLN  IN  PICTURES 


17 


Lincoln  Starts   Out   for   Himself — Makes  Trip   to  New  Orleans 


First    Home 
in     Illinois 


)*VSn. 


THE    Lincoln   family   were   two 
weeks    on    the   journey   from 
Indiana     to     their     location     near 
Decatur    in    Illinois,    selected    for 
them   by  John   Hanks.      Upon   ar- 
rival,  they  immediately  put  up   a 
cabin  on   the  north    fork    of    the 
Sangamon   River  from    logs    that 
already    had    been    cut    by    John 
Hanks.       With    the    assistance    of 
his  cousin,   Abraham    plowed    fif- 
teen acres  and   split  enough  rails 
from  the  walnut  trees  to  surround  them  with  a 
fence.     This  was  the  last  work  Lincoln  did  for 
his  father,  for  in  the  summer  of  that  year,  he 
exercised  the  right  of  majority  and  started  out 
to   shift  for  himself.      When   he   left    home    he 
went    empty-handed.       He    was    already     some 

months  over  twenty-one  years  of  age,  but  he  had  nothing  in  the  world, 
not  even  a  suit  of  respectable  clothes.     He  had  no  trade  or  profession. 

Shortly  after  leaving  his  father's  home,  Lincoln  obtained  employ- 
ment with  Denton  Offutt,  a  venturesome  trader,  who,  having  heard  that 
he  had  already  made  a  voyage  on  a  flat-boat  from  Indiana  to  New 
Orleans,  hired  him  for  a  similar  venture,  in  company  with  his  step- 
brother, and  John  Hanks,  his  cousin,  for  twelve  dollars  a  month  with 

their  return  expenses.  It  took  some 
time  to  build  the  boat,  and  at  the 
very  beginning  of  the  voyage  it  stuck 
midway  across  a  dam  at  the  village 
of  New  Salem.  The  bow  was  high 
in  the  air,  the  stern  was  low  in  the 
water,  and  a  shipwreck  seemed  near. 
Lincoln,  however,  rescued  the  craft. 
He  unloaded  the  cargo,  and  bored 
a  hole  in  the  bottom  at  the  end  ex- 
tending over  the  dam;  then  he  tilted 
up  the  boat  and  let  the  water  run 
out.  This  being  done,  the  boat  was 
easily  shoved  over  the  dam  and  re- 
loaded. Lincoln's  ingenuity  in  this 
crisis  gave  him  ouite  a  reputation  at 
New  Salem.  The  trip  was  made 
without  further  accident.  He  re- 
On  Way  to  New  Orleans  turned  to  St.  Louis  by  steamer. 


18 


LIFE  OF  LINCOLN  IN  PICTURES 
Lincoln  in   New   Orleans 


I  N  New  Orleans,  for  the  first  time,  Lincoln  beheld  the  true  horrors  of 
*  human  slavery.  He  saw  negroes  in  chains,  whipped  and  scourged. 
Against  this  inhumanity  his  sense  of  right  and  justice  rebelled,  and  his 
mind  and  conscience  were  awakened  to  what  he  had  often  heard  and 
read.  No  doubt,  as  one  of  his  companions  has  said,  ''Slavery  ran  the 
iron  into  him  then  and  there."  One  morning  in  their  rambles  over  the 
city,  Lincoln  and  his  companions  passed  a  slave  auction.  A  vigorous 
and  comely  mulatto  girl  was  being  sold.  She  underwent  a  thorough 
examination  at  the  hands  of  her  bidders;  they  pinched  her  flesh  and 


Lincoln  at  the  Slave  Market  in  New  Orleans 

made  her  trot  up  and  down  the  room  like  a  horse,  to  show  how  she 
moved,  and  in  order,  as  the  auctioneer  said,  that  bidders  might  satisfy 
themselves  whether  the  article  they  were  offering  to  buy  was  sound  or 
not.  The  whole  thing  was  so  revolting  that  Lincoln  moved  away  from 
the  scene  with  a  deep  feeling  of  disgust.  Bidding  his  companions  fol- 
low him,  he  said:  "Boys,  let's  get  away  from  this.  If  I  ever  get  a 
chance  to  hit  that  thing   (meaning  slavery)   I'll  hit  it  hard." 

Lincoln  was  taught  early  in  life  to  hate  slavery.  Rev.  Jesse  Head, 
the  minister  who  married  Thomas  Lincoln  and  Nancy  Hanks,  preached 
against  it.  Lincoln's  father  and  mother  were  among  his  most  devoted 
disciples,  and  when  he  was  a  mere  child  Abraham  Lincoln  inherited 
their  hatred  of  human  servitude. 


LINCOLN  CLERKS  IN  OFFUTT'S  STORE 


19 


Clerk    in    Offutt's   Store 


Corrects  Mistakes  Made  with  Customers 

AT  the  conclusion  of  his  trip  to 
New  Orleans,  Lincoln's  em- 
ployer, Mr.  Offutt,  opened  a  store 
at  New  Salem,  a  settlement  on 
the  Sangamon  River,  two  miles 
from  Petersburg,  the  County  Seat. 
He  also  set  up  a  flouring  mill. 
Offutt  had  found  Lincoln  to  be  a 
valuable  man,  and  offered  him  em- 
ployment as  clerk  in  the  new 
store.  Lincoln  for  want  of  other 
immediate  employment  accepted 
the   offer. 

On  one  occasion,  while  clerking 
in  Offutt's  store,  Lincoln  sold  a 
woman  a  little  bale  of  goods, 
amounting  in  value  to  two  dollars 
and  twenty  cents.  He  received 
the  money  and  the  woman  went 
away.  On  adding  the  items  of  the  bill  again  to  make  himself  sure  of 
correctness,  he  found  that  he  had  taken  six  and  a  quarter  cents  too 
much.  It  was  night  and,  closing  and  locking  the  store,  he  started  out 
on  foot,  a  distance  of  two  or  three  miles,  for  the  house  of  his  defrauded 
customer,  and  delivering  over  to  her  the  sum  whose  possession  had  so 
much  troubled  him,  went  home  satisfied. 

At  another  time,  just  as  he  was  closing  the  store  for  the  night,  a 
woman  entered  and  asked  for  a  pound  of  tea.  The  tea  was  weighed 
out  and  paid  for,  and  the  store  was  left  for  the  night.  The  next  morn- 
ing Lincoln  entered  to  begin  the  duties  of  the  day,  when  he  discovered 
a  four-ounce  weight  on  the  scales. 
He  saw  at  once  that  he  had  made 
a  mistake,  and,  shutting  the  store, 
he  took  a  long  ride  before  break- 
fast to  deliver  the  remainder  of  ^4  .., 
the  tea.                                                                    v/^:M 

While  clerking,  Lincoln  would 
not  allow  profanity  in  the  pres- 
ence of  ladies.  One  day  a  bully 
entered  the  store  using  vile  lan- 
guage, and  was  politely  asked  to 
cease  swearing.  He  became 
abusive.  After  the  ladies  had 
gone,   Lincoln   invited   the   ruffian 

OUtside,    and    gave    him    a    beating.  Brings   the  Tea   in   the   Morning 


20 


LIFE  OF  LINCOLN  IN  PICTURES 


Lincoln  a  Great  Reader 


WITH  all  his  hard  living  and  hard 
work,  Lincoln  was  getting,  at 


A    Borrower   of   Books 


this  period,  in  Indiana,  a  desultory 
kind  of  education.  He  says  he  went 
to  school  "by  littles."  In  all  it  did 
not  amount  to  more  than  a  year.  No 
qualification  was  required  of  a 
teacher  beyond  "readin',  writin'  " 
and  ciphering  to  the  rule  of  three. 
If  a  straggler  supposed  to  know 
Latin  happened  to  sojourn  in  the 
neighborhood,  he  was  looked  upon 
as  a  "wizard."  Lincoln  was  getting 
his  education  outside  of  the  school- 
room. He  was  a  great  reader,  and 
learned  to  think  of  what  he  read. 
His  stock  of  books  was  small,  but  he 
knew  them  thoroughly.  His  library 
contained:  the  Bible,  "Aesop's 
Fables,"  "Robinson  Cruso,"  Bunyan's  "Pilgrim's  Progress,"  a  "History 
of  the  United  States,"  Weems's  "Life  of  Washington,"  and  the 
"Statutes  of  Indiana." 

Besides  these  books  he  borrowed  many  others.  He  once  told  a 
friend  that  he  "read  through  every  book  he  had  ever  heard  of  in  that 
country,  for  a  circuit  of  fifty  miles.  From  everything  he  read  he  made 
long  extracts,  with  his  turkey-buzzard  pen  and  briar-root  ink.  When 
he  had  no  paper  he  would  write  on  a  board,  and  thus  preserve  his  selec- 
tions until  he  secured  a  copybook.  The  wooden  fire-shovel  was  his 
usual  slate,  and  on  its  back  he  ciphered  with  a  charred  stick,  shaving 
it  off  when  it  became  too  grimy  for  use.  By  night  he  read  and  worked 
as  long  as  there  was  light,  and  when  darkness 
came,  he  continued  his  studies  in  the  light  of 
blazing  logs  in  the  fire-place.     He  kept  a  book  gpi  P 

in  a  crack  of  the  logs  in  his  loft,  to  have  it  on 
hand'  at  the  peep  of  day. 

Every  lull  in  his  daily  labor  Lincoln 
used  for  reading,  rare- 
ly going  to  work  with- 
out a  book.  When 
ploughing  or  cultivat- 
ing the  fields,  he 
would  stop  at  the  end 
of  every  long  row,  and 

take        out       his       book.      When    Darkness    Came 


OUT-DOOR  LIFE   OF  LINCOLN 


21 


A      Good   Sportsman — Great   Feats  of   Strength 


LINCOLN    was 
fond   of  out- 
door   sports,    but 
was  never    much 
of    a     hunter. 
Writing      to      a 
friend    in    the 
third    person,    he 
said,     "A     few 
days    before    the 
completion  of  his  eighth  year,  in 
the  absence  of  his  father,  a  flock 
of  wild   turkeys   approached  the 
new    log    cabin;    and    Abraham, 
with  a  rifle  gun,  standing  inside, 
shot  through  a  crack  and  killed 
one    of    them.       He    has    never 


A    Country    Shooting-Match 


Carrying    the 
Corn-Crib    Post 


since  pulled,  a  trigger  on  any  larger  game." 

But  there  were  many  other  country  sports,  which  he  enjoyed  to 
the  full.  He  went  swimming  in  the  evenings,  fished  with  the  other  boys 
in  Pigeon  Creek;  he  wrestled,  and  jumped  and  ran  races  at  the  noon 
rests.  He  was  present  at  every  shooting-match,  country  horse-race  and 
fox  chase.  The  sports  he  preferred  were  those  that  brought  men  to- 
gether; the  spelling-school,  the  husking-bee,  the  barn  "raising;"  and  of 
all  these  he  was  the  life  by  his  wit,  and  by  a  rough  kind  of  politeness. 

Lincoln  had  become,  not  only 
the  longest,  but  the  strongest, 
man  in  the  settlement  where  he 
lived.  Some  of  the  feats  almost 
surpass  belief,  and  those  who  be- 
held them  with  their  own  eyes 
stood  literally  amazed.  His  neigh- 
bors declared  that  he  could  carry 
a  load  to  which  the  strength  of 
three  ordinary  men  would  scarcely 
be  equal.  One  day  he  picked  up 
a  chicken  house,  that  weighed  at 
least  six  hundred  pounds.  At 
another  time  when  a  corn-crib 
was  being  built,  Abraham  saw 
three  or  four  men  preparing  sticks 
upon  which  to  carry  some  huge 
posts.  He  relieved  them  all  by 
shouldering  the  posts. 


22 


LINCOLN  IN  PICTURES 


Lincoln   Wrestles   with   Armstrong 


M 


R.  OFFUTT,  Lincoln's  em- 
ployer, declared  that  his 
clerk  could  out-run,  whip  or 
throw  any  man  in  the  country. 
These  boasts  came  to  the  ears  of 
the  "Clary's  Grove  Boys,"  a  set 
of  rude,  roystering,  good-natured 
fellows,  who  lived  in  Clary's 
Grove,  a  settlement  near  New 
Salem.  Their  leader  was  Jack 
Armstrong,    a    great     square-built 

Clary's  Grove  Boys  fellow,   strong   as   an    OX,   who   was 

believed  by  his  followers  to  be  able  to  whip  any  man  on  the  Sangamon 
River.  The  issue  was  thus  made  between  Lincoln  and  Armstrong  as  to 
which  was  the  better  man,  and  although  Lincoln  tried  to  avoid  such 
contests,  nothing  but  an  actual  trial  of  strength  would  satisfy  their 
partisans. 

They  met  and  wrestled  for  some  time  without  any  decided  advan- 
tage on  either  side.  Finally  Armstrong  resorted  to  some  foul  play, 
which  roused  Lincoln's  indignation.  Putting  forth  his  whole  strength, 
he  seized  the  great  bully  by  the  neck  and  holding  him  at  arm's  length 
shook  him  like  a  boy.  The  Clary's  Grove  boys  were  ready  to  pitch  in 
on  behalf  of  their  companion;  and  as  they  were  the  greater  part  of 
the  lookers-on,  a  general  onslaught  upon  Lincoln  seemed  imminent. 
Lincoln  backed  up  against  Offutt's  store  and  calmly  waited  the  attack; 
but  his  coolness  and  courage  made  such  an  impression  upon  Armstrong 
that  he  stepped  forward,  grasped  Lincoln's  hand  and  shook  it  heartily, 
saying,  "Boys,  Abe  Lincoln 
is  the  best  felow  that  ever 
broke  into  this  settlement. 
He  shall  be  one  of  us." 
From  that  day  forth  Arm- 
strong was  one  of  Lincoln's 
warmest  friends. 
His  hand,  his 
table,  his  nurse, 
his  vote,  and  that 
of  the  Clary's 
Grove  boys  as 
well,  belonged 
to  Lincoln. 
Years  later,  Lin- 
coln d  e  f  e  n  d  ed 
Armstrong  in  a 
murder   trial.  Lincoln  Calmly  Waited  the  Attack 


LINCOLN  ENTERS  POLITICS 
Becomes   a  Candidate   for  the   Legislature 


23 


The    Capito!    at    Vandalia 


WHEN  Abraham  Lincoln  was 
twenty-two  years  old,  and 
a  clerk  in  Denton  Offutt's  store, 
he  offered  himself  to  the  voters  of 
New  Salem  and  vicinity  as  a  can- 
didate for  the  Illinois  Legislature. 
In  those  days  nominations  for  of- 
fice were  made  by  announcement, 
and  not  by  conventions,  or  pri- 
maries, and,  according  to  custom, 
Lincoln  issued  a  circular  or  hand- 
bill, setting  forth  his  sentiments: 

"Every  man  is  said  to  have  his 
particular  ambition.  Whether  it  be  true  or  not,  I  can  say,  for  one,  that 
I  have  no  other  so  great  as  that  of  being  highly  esteemed  by  my  fellow- 
men  by  rendering  myself  worthy  of  their  esteem.  How  far  I  shall  suc- 
ceed in  gratifying  this  ambition  is  yet  to  be  developed.  I  am  young, 
and  unknown  to  many  of  you.  I  was  born,  and  have  ever  remained,  in 
the  most  humble  walks  of  life.  I  have  no  wealthy  or  popular  relatives 
or  friends  to  recommend  me.  My  case  is  thrown  exclusively  upon  the 
independent  voters  of  the  country,  and  if  elected  they  will  have  con- 
ferred a  favor  upon  me,  for  which  I  shall  be  unremitting  in  my  labors 
to  compensate.  But  if  the  good  people  in  their  wisdom  shall  see  fit  to 
keep  me  in  the  back-ground,  I  have  been  too  familiar  with  disappoint- 
ments to  be  very  much  chagrined." 

Just  a  month  after  this  announcement  was  made,  Lincoln  went  off 
to  the  Black  Hawk  War,  and  did  not  return  until  a  few  days  before 

the  election,  so  that  he  did  not 
have  time  to  make  an  extensive 
canvass.  He  was  not  elected. 
Two  years  later,  he  again  became 
a  candidate,  and  was  elected,  hav- 
ing polled  the  highest  vote  of  all 
the  candidates. 

The  session  of  the  Assembly  be- 
gan December  1,  1834,  and  Lin- 
coln went  to  the  Capital,  then 
Vandalia,  seventy-five  miles  south- 
east of  New  Salem,  in  time  for 
the  opening.  At  this  session  of 
the  Legislature,  Lincoln  showed 
no  particular  talent  and  took  a 
modest  position  in  the  back- 
ground. 


Lincoln   Begins   the  Study  of   Law 


24 


LIFE  OF  LINCOLN  IN  PICTURES 


Lincoln  and  the  Black  Hawk  War 

LACK  HAWK,  with  a  hostile  band  of  Sac 
and  Fox  Indians,  threatened  to  invade 
Illinois  from  the  North.  The  Governor  of 
that  state  called  for  soldiers.  Abraham 
Lincoln  enlisted.  The  young  man  along  with 
Sangamon  volunteered  in  sufficient  numbers 
to  form  a  company.  They  elected 
him  captain. 

Into  the  camp  of  the  company, 
there  wandered  one  day  o  poor, 
miserable,  old  Indian,  destitute  and 
feeble,  bringing  a  letter  written  by 
General  Lewis  Cass,  who  stated 
protection.  In  spite  of  the  letter, 
that  the  bearer  was  entitled  to 
the  soldiers  cried  out,  ''He's  a  spy. 
Hang  him."  Just  as  they  were 
about  to  hustle  him  away,  Lincoln 
appeared  at  the  entrance  of  his 
tent.  "Fall  back,"  he  cried.  He 
ordered  the  Indian  to  be  set  free; 
but  at  this,  the  men  openly  rebelled. 
Lincoln  flung  himself  before  the 
Indian,  and  offered  to  fight  his  un- 
ruly soldiers  one  at  a  time;  but  at 
the  sight  of  him,  with  his  sleeves  rolled  up,  quietly  waiting,  the  men 
drew  back. 

The  time  expired  for  which  the  volunteers  from  Sangamon  had 
enlisted.  They  had  not  fought  a  battle,  but  were  weary  of  military 
life.  All  the  company,  with  the  exception  of  Captain  Lincoln  and  one 
private,  returned  to  Sangamon.  These  enlisted  as  privates  in  a  com- 
pany of  cavalry.  However,  before  they  reached  the  battle-front,  the 
Indians  were  defeated,  and  Black  Hawk  was  taken  prisoner.  Lincoln 
was  mustered  out  at  Whitewater,  Wisconsin.     With  his  fellow  soldier, 

he  made  his  way  to  Illinois  River  at 
Peoria,  where  they  obtained  a  canoe 
and  paddled  to  Havana,  and  from 
that  town,  walked  to  New  Salem. 
The  volunteers  in  returning  suffered 
much  from  hunger.  They  had  noth- 
ing to  eat  on  the  journey  except  meal 
and  water  baked  in  rolls  of  bark  laid 
by  the  fire.  Their  horses  were  stolen 
Returning  from  Black  Hawk  War        the  night  before  the  home  march. 


Lincoln '  Defends    the    Indian 


LINCOLN   BECOMES   STOREKEEPER 


25 


Lincoln    &    Berry    Store    Fails — Becomes    Postmaster 

A  FTER  Lincoln's  defeat  for  the 
*■•  Legislature,  he  sought  em- 
ployment in  the  stores  at  New 
Salem.  Failing  in  this  effort,  he 
resolved  to  buy  a  store.  One  of 
the  partners  in  Herndon  Brothers 
had  sold  his  half  interest  in"  the 
firm  to  William  F.  Berry.  The 
remaining  partner  did  not  get 
along  well  with  Berry,  and  he  was 
only  too  glad  to  sell  his  interest 
to  Lincoln.  Berry  was  as  poor  as 
Lincoln,  and  they  both  gave  their 
notes  to  Herndon  for  his  stock  of 
goods.  The  new  firm  also  bought 
two  other  stores  in  the  village, 
giving  their  notes  in  payment. 
Lincoln  left  the  management 
largely  to  his  partner,  and  gave 
his  time  to  the  study  of  law. 
Berry  did  not  prove  a  very  good 
manager,  and  most  of  his  time  was 

lingering  incumbrance,  but  it  was  all  paid  thlS 

Sale^^ut^sT^JT^    WaS    ™ted    Piaster    at    New 
mail    ^HtL"  the  P°sltT,on  were  light,  there  being  only  a  weekly 

££  2ta  teeeT  rTaadUevHeeryaCCePted  ^  ^"^  b<~  " 
newspaper  that  was  taken  in  the 
vicinity.  He  had  never  been  able 
to  get  all  hte  newspapers  he 
wanted.  A  large  number  of  the 
patrons  of  the  office  lived  in  the 
country— many  of  them  miles 
away— and  generally  Lincoln  de- 
livered their  letters  at  their  doors. 
These  letters  he  would  carefully 
place  in  the  crown  of  his  hat,  and 
distribute    them    from    house    to 

house 

Lincoln  &   Berry  Store 


Lincoln   as   Postmaster 


26 


LIFE  OF  LINCOLN  IN  PICTURES 


Studying    Law 


The  Death  of  Ann  Rutledge 

AMONG  Lincoln's  acquaintances 
at  New  Salem  was  Ann  Rut- 
ledge,  a  very  beautiful  and  at- 
tractive girl.  Her  father  was  one 
of  the  founders  of  the  village  and 
kept  the  tavern  at  which  Lincoln 
was  a  regular  border.  Before 
Lincoln  met  the  daughter  she  had 
become  engaged  to  one  of  the 
wealthiest  and  most  prosperous  of 
the  young  men  in  that  part  of  Illi- 
nois. After  the  announcement  of 
the  engagement,  her  fiancee  went 
East  to  arrange  certain  business 
matters  before  settling  down 
permanently  in  Illinois.  At  first 
he  wrote  frequently  to  his  sweet- 
heart, then  the  letters  came  at 
long  intervals,  and  finally  they  ceased  coming. 

The  poor  girl's  sorrow  awakened  a  sympathy  in  Lincoln's  heart, 
which  soon  ripened  into  love.  He  saw  her  constantly  at  her  father's 
tavern,  sat  by  her  side  at  breakfast,  dinner  and  supper,  and  usually 
spent  his  evenings  with  her  upon  the  tavern  steps  or  wandering  in  the 
lanes  of  the  neighborhood.  After  a  long  time,  she  became  convinced 
that  her  former  lover  was  either  dead  or  had  deserted  her,  and  yielded 
to  Lincoln's  appeal  and  promised  to  become  his  wife.  It  was  agreed 
that  in  the  spring  when  Lincoln  was  admitted  to  the  bar  they  would  be 
married;  but  in  the  meantime,  the  girl  fell  ill  and  died.  The  neighbors 
said  she  died  of  a  broken  heart.  Lincoln's  sorrow  was 
so  intense  that  his  friends  feared  suicide.  He  never 
fully  recovered  from  his  grief,  and  even  after  he  had 
been  elected  President,  he  told  a  friend,  "I  really  loved 
that  girl  and  often  think  of  her  now,  and  I  have  loved 
the  name  of  Rutledge  to  this  day." 

About  a  year  after  the 
death  of  Ann  Rutledge, 
Lincoln  became  involved  in 
a  ludicrous  affair  with  Miss 
Mary  Owens.  In  jest,  Lin- 
coln said  to  her  sister  that  if 
Miss  Owens  came  to  Spring- 
field he  would  marry  her. 
She  accepted  the  offer,  but 
subsequently   declined.  The   Grave  of  Ann   Rutledge 


LINCOLN  THE  LAWYER 


27 


How  Lincoln   Became   a   Lawyer 

LINCOLN  attended  court  at  Booneville  to  witness  a  murder  trial,  at 
which  one  of  the  Breckenridges  from  Kentucky  made  a  very  elo- 
quent speech  for  the  defense.  The  boy  was  carried  away  with  admira- 
tion, and  was  so  enthusiastic  that,  although  a  perfect  stranger,  he  could 
not  resist  expressing  his  admiration  to  Breckenridge.  Lincoln  there 
resolved  to  be  a  lawyer.  He  went  home,  dreamed  of  courts,  and  got 
up  mock  trials,  at  which  he  would  defend  imaginary  prisoners. 

Lincoln's  ambition  to  be  a  lawyer  was  stimulated  by  a  curious  in- 
cident that  occured  soon  after  he  went  into  partnership  with  Berry. 
He  related  it  himself  in  these  words: 

"One  day  a  man  who  was  migrating  to  the  West  drove  up  in  front 
of  my  store  with  a  wagon  which  contained  his  family  and  household 
plunder.  He  asked  me  if  I  would  buy  an  old  barrel  for  which  he  had 
no  room  in  his 
wagon.  I  did  not 
want  it,  but  to 
oblige  him  I 
bought  it,  and 
paid  him,  I  think, 
half  a  dollar  for 
it.  Without  fur- 
ther examination 
I  put  it  away  in 
the  store  and 
forgot  all  about 
it.  Some  time 
after,  in  over- 
hauling things,  I 
came  upon  the 
barrel,  and 
emptying  it  on 
the  floor  to  see 
what  it  con- 
tained, I  found  at  the  bottom  of  the  rubbish  a  complete  edition  of 
Blackstone's  'Commentaries.'  I  began  to  read  those  famous  works,  and 
I  had  plenty  of  time ;  for  during  the  long  summer  days,  when  the  farm- 
ers were  busy  with  their  crops,  my  customers  were  few  and  far  between. 
The  more  I  read  the  more  intensely  interested  I  became.  Never  in  my 
whole  life  was  my  mind  so  thoroughly  absorbed.  *  I  read  until  I  de- 
coured  them." 

During  Lincoln's  canvass  for  the  Legislature,  one  of  his  fellow 
candidates,  Major  John  T.  Stuart,  in  a  private  conversation,  encour- 
aged him  to  study  law.  After  the  election,  Lincoln  borrowed  books  of 
Stuart,  took  them  home  with  him  and  went  at  it  in  good  earnest. 


Lincoln    the    Lawyer 


28 


THE  LIFE  OF  LINCOLN  IN  PICTURES 


Lincoln  Moves  to  Springfield 

LINCOLN  never  studied  with  any  lawyer.  As  he  tramped  back  and 
forth  from  New  Salem  to  Springfield,  twenty  miles  away,  to  get 
his  law  books,  he  sometimes  read  forty  pages  or  more  on  the  way.  The 
subject  never  seemed  to  be  out  of  his  mind.  It  was  the  great  absorbing 
interest  of  his  life. 

The  great  service  Lincoln  had  rendered  the  town  of  Springfield, 
in  carrying  through  the  law  for  removing  the  capital  to  that  place,  was 
greatly  appreciated,  and  his  many  friends  urged  him  to  come  there  to 
live  and  practice  law.  He  accepted  the  offer  of  his  old  friend,  Major 
Stuart,  a  lawyer  of  established  position,  to  form  a  partnership.  In 
April,  1837,  Lincoln  moved  to  Springfield.  He  had  been  admitted  to 
the  bar  the  year  before.  A  partnership  was  formed  under  the  name 
of  Stuart  &  Lincoln,  which  continued  for  four  years.  At  the  expira- 
tion of  this  period, 
Lincoln  became  the 
partner  of  Stephen 
T.  Logan,  one  of 
the  ablest  lawyers 
of  his  day. 

It  is  said  that 
Lincoln  would  not 
take  a  case  that 
was  not  morally,  as 
well  as  legally 
sound.  Upon  one 
occasion  a  man 
came  to  Lincoln  for 
his  services.  After 
listening     to       the 

■  >      •     D  «     .,  *     ,,  ,,   *  ,     .,        <-  facts      presented, 

Lincoln    Refused    lo    Undertake    Many    Cases    «  T    .  ,  v    j 

Lincoln    replied : 

"Yes,  I  can  doubtless  obtain  your  case  for  you.  I  can  set  the  whole 
neighborhood  at  loggerheads.  I  can  distress  a  widowed  mother  and 
her  six  fatherless  children,  and  thereby  get  you  six  hundred  dollars,  to 
which  you  seem  to  have  a  legal  claim,  but  which  rightfully,  as  it  ap- 
pears to  me,  belongs  quite  as  much  to  the  woman  and  her  children  as 
to  you.  You  must  remember  that  some  things  are  legally  right  which 
are  not  morally  right.  I  will  not  undertake  your  case,  but  will  give 
you  a  little  advice,  fcr  which  I  shall  charge  nothing.  You  seem  to  be 
an  energetic  man,  and  I  advise  you  to  make  six  hundred  dollars  some 
other  way."  After  the  partnership  with  Logan  was  dissolved,  the  firm 
of  Lincoln  &  Herndon  was  formed,  which  continued  to  the  time  .  of 
Lincoln's  death. 


LINCOLN  THE  LAWYER 


29 


Riding  the   Circuit 


THE  judicial  districts  of 
Illinois  comprised  sev- 
eral counties,  in  which  the 
judge  for  the  district  held 
court,  going  from  county  to 
county;  he  was  called  "Cir- 
cuit Judge."  The  leading 
lawyers  in  the  district 
usually  accompanied  him  to 
the  different  county  seats — 
all  on  horseback.  It  was 
called  "riding  the  circuit."  | 
The  judge  might  be  very 
grave  and  dignified  when 
presiding  in  the  court-room, 
but    when    mounted    on    his 


Arriving   at  a  Court-House  on   the  Circuit 


horse,  with  his  law  books  and  an  extra  shirt  in  his  saddle-bags,  riding 
across  the  prairie,  accompanied  by  a  dozen  or  more  jolly  lawyers,  his 
laugh  was  as  loud  as  theirs.  In  the  evenings  judge  and  lawyers  alike 
gathered  in  the  lobby  of  the  tavern,  and  there  was  always  on  hand  an 
admiring  aud.ence  to  listen  to  their  stories.  The  coming  of  the  Court 
was  looked  forward  to  by  the  people  of  the  county  as  one  of  the  most 
important  events  of  the  year. 

One  day  when  Lincoln  was  traveling  on  the  circuit,  he  came  across 
a  pig  which  was  stuck  fast  in  the  mud  and  squealing  as  loud  as  possible. 
Lincoln  stopped  as  if  to  rescue  the  unfortunate  pig,  but  was  ridiculed 
by  the  other  lawyers  who  were  accompanying  him.  He  then  rode  on 
with  the  others,  but  all  the  while  the  memory  of  that  squealing  pig 
kept  ringing  in  his  ears.     After  going  quite  a  long  distance,  he  turned 

and  rode  back  alone  to  see  if  he 


Rescues  a  Pig 


could  g?t  the  pig  out.  By  using 
some  rails  from  a  fence  nearby, 
after  much  effort,  Lincoln  pulled 
out  the  squealing  animal  and 
placed  it  on  dry  sand.  The 
rescuer  looked  at  his  soiled  clothes 
with  a  satisfied  smile,  as  if  to  say, 
"A  litfe  washing  and  brushing 
will  msk^  them  clean  again." 
will  make  them  clean  again."  On 
another  occasion,  while  riding  the 
Circuit,  Lincoln  again  showed  his 
kindness  to  animals  by  restoring 
young  birds  to  their  mother. 


30 


LIFE  OF  LINCOLN  IN  PICTURES 


A  Popular  Story-teller 

LINCOLN'S  talents  as  a  story-teller  made  him  a  popular  member  of 
this  group  of  lawyers  who  travelled  the  circuit,  and  who  enter- 
tained themselves  in  the  tavern  or  court-yard  while  not  engaged  in 
court.  Judge  Davis  presided  'over  the  Eighth  Circuit  for  marty  years 
while  Lincoln  was  in  practice,  and  was  one  of  his  most  ardent  admirers 
and  devoted  friends.  It  is  said  that  he  would  not  sit  down  at  a  table 
for  dinner  or  supper  until  Lincoln  was  present. 

One  day,  during  the  trial  of  a  cause,  when  Lincoln  was  the  center 
of  a  group  in  a  distant  corner  of  the  court-room,  exchanging  whis- 
pered stories,  Judge  Davis  rapped  on  the  bench,  and  calling  him  by 
name,  exclaimed, — "Mr.  Lincoln,  this  must  stop!  There  is  no  use  in 
trying  to  carry  on  two  courts;  one  of  them  will  have  to  adjourn,  and  I 
think  yours  will  have  to  be  the  one;"  and  as  soon  as  the  group  scat- 
tered, Judge  Davis  called  one  of  the  group  to  the  bench  and  asked  him 
to  repeat  the  stories  Lincoln  had  been  telling. 


LIFE  IN  SPRINGFIELD 


31 


Globe  Tavern,  Springfield 

soon   developed  between  them. 


Lincoln   Marries   Miss   Todd — The   Death    of   Lincoln's    Father 

MiSS  MARY  TODD,  of  Ken- 
tucky, came  to  Springfield  to 
Visit  her  sister,  the  wue  01  iNinian 
W.  Edwards,  one  of  Lincoln's  col- 
leagues in  the  Legislature.  She 
received  much  attention  irom  the 
young  men  of  Springfield,  but  it 
was  soon  apparent  that  she  pre- 
ferred Lincoln,  and  against  the 
protests  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Edwards, 
who   were   familiar   with   his   hope- 

kless  financial  situation,  they  became 
engaged.  However,  differences 
Their  tastes  were  entirely  different, 
and  Lincoln  became  so  convinced  that  they  were  unsuited  to  each 
other,  that  he  asked  to  be  released  from  the  engagement.  The  young 
woman  consented  with  tears  of  anger  and  grief,  and  Lincoln,  having 
discovered,  when  it  was  too  late,  the  depth  of  her  love  for  him,  accused 
himself  of  a  breach  of  honor  so  bitterly  that  it  preyed  upon  his  mind. 
A  year  later,  the  misunderstandings  having  been  removed  by  a  peculiar 
incident,  the  two  were  married  November  4,  1842,  at  the  residence  of 
Mr.  Edwards,  and  there  was  sunshine  again  in  Lincoln's  life.  He  took 
his  bride  to  board  at  the  Globe  Tavern,  where  the  charges  were  four 
dollars  for  both. 

Thomas  Lincoln  did  not  remain  long  at  his  home  on  the  fork  of 
the  Sangamon  River.  He  removed  three  times  after  he  came  to  Illinois 
in  search  of  better  luck,  and  never  found  it.  He  owned  three  farms, 
but  never  paid  for  any  of  them,  and  was  always  getting  poorer  and 
signing  larger  mortgages.  Finally,  when  he  had  reached  the  end  of  his 
credit,  Lincoln  bought  him  a  tract  of  forty  acres,  near  Farmington, 
Coles  County,  where  he  lived  long  enough  to  see  his  son  one  of  the 
foremost  men  of  the  State.  He  was  buried  near  the  little  hamlet.  His 
wife  survived  both  him  and  her  famous  step-son,  and  was  tenderly 
cared  for  as  long  as  the  latter 
lived.  She  died  in  April,  1869. 
Regarding  his  father  who  was  then 
ill,  Lincoln  wrote  to  his  step- 
brother: "I  sincerely  hope  father 
may  yet  recover  his  health;  but 
at  all  events,  tell  him  to  remember 
to  call  upon,  and  confide  in,  our 
great  and  merciful  Maker,  who 
will  not  turn  away  from  him  in 
any   extremity."  x         House  in  Which  Thomas  Lincoln  Died 


s    • 


Lincoln   and   Douglas  Meeting   at   Galesburg 


THE   LINCOLN-DOUGLAS   DEBATES 
Lincoln  a  Candidate  for  U.  S.  Senate 

IN  the  fall  of  1858,  there  was  an  election  of  the  Illinois  Legislature 
to  choose  a  successor  to  Senator  Douglas,  whose  term  of  oince  was 
to  expire  the  following  March.  The  Kepublican  party  nominated 
Abraham  Lincoln,  and  the  Democratic  Party  re-nominated  Stephen  A. 
Douglas.  During  the  campaign  that  followed  the  nominations,  it  was 
decided  that  Lincoln  should  challenge  Douglas  to  joint  public  debate 
at  seven  designated  places  in  the  State,  each  speaker  alternately  to 
open  and  close  the  discussion  and  each  to  speak  for  one  and  a  half 
hours  at  each  meeting.  The  first  debate  took  place  at  Ottawa,  about 
seventy-five  miles  southwest  of  Chicago;  the  second  at  Freeport,  near 
the  Wiscounsin  boundary;  the  third  was  in  the  extreme  southern  part 
of  the  State,  at  Jonesboro;  the  fifth  at  Galesburg;  the  sixth  at  Ottawa, 
and  the  last  at  Alton. 

The  scenes  in  the  towns  on  the  occasion  of  the  debates  were  per- 
haps never  equalled  at  any  other  of  the  hustings  of  this  country.  No 
distance  seemed  too  great  for  the  people  to  go;  no  vehicle  too  slow  or 
fatiguing.  At  Charleston  there  was  a  great  delegation  of  men,  women 
and  children  present  which  had  come  in  a  long  procession  from  Indiana 
by  farm  wagons,  on  horseback  and  in  carriages.  The  crowds  at  each 
debate  were  estimated  to  be  from  eight  thousand  to  fourteen  thousand. 
Many  of  those  at  Ottawa  came  the  night  before.  When  the  crowd  was 
massed  at  the  place  of  the  debate,  the  scene  was  one  of  the  greatest 
hubub  and  confusion.  On  the  corners  of  the  squares,  and  scattered 
around  the  outskirts  of  the  crowd,  were  "fakirs"  of  every  description, 
selling  pain-killers  and  ague  cures,  watermelons  and  lemonade;  jug- 
glers and  beggars  plied  their  trades  and  all  the  brass  bands  within 
twenty-five  miles  tooted  and  pounded  at  patriotic  airs  and  songs. 

On  arrival  at  the  towns  where  the  joint  debates  were  held,  Douglas 
was  always  met  by  a  brass  band  and  a  salute  of  thirty-two  guns,  and 
was  escorted  to  the  hotel  in  the  finest  equipage  to  be  had.  Lincoln's 
supporters  took  delight  in  showing  their  contempt  for  Douglas's  ele- 
gance by  affecting  a  Republican  simplicity,  often  carrying  their  candi- 
date through  the  streets  in  a  high  and  unadorned  hay-rick. 

The  meeting  at  Galesburg  was  held  on  the  campus  of  Knox  Col- 
lege. The  enthusiasm  was  so  great  that  a  party  of  Lincoln's  admirers 
carried  him  on  their  shoulders  from  the  meeting  to  the  house  where  he 
was  entertained.  On  one  occasion,  Douglas  closed  his  speech  with  a 
bitter  attack  upon  Lincoln's  career.  He  said  Lincoln  had  tried  every- 
thing and  had  failed.  In  renly,  Lincoln  admitted  that  he  had  worked 
on  a  farm,  on  a  flatboat,  split  rails,  practised  law,  but  "there  is  one 
thing  that  Judge  Douglas  forgot  to  tell  you,  that  while  I  was  on  one 
side  of  the  counter  selling  linuor,  he  was  always  on  the  other.  But 
I  have  quit  the  business!"  The  people  r^nt  the  heavens  with  wild 
shouts  at  this  reference  to  Douglas's  well  known  infirmity. 


34 


LIFE  OF  LINCOLN  IN  PICTURES 


Lincoln   Is  Defeated  for  Senate 

AT  Charleston  during  one  of  the  debates  Lincoln  assailed  his  oppon- 
ent so  vigorously  that  Douglas  lost  his  temper.  He  could  not  keep 
his  seat.  He  arose  and  walked  rapidly  up  and  down  the  platform, 
behind  Lincoln,  holding  his  watch  in  his  hand,  and  obviously  impatient 
for  the  call  of  time.  He  became  greatly  agitated  as  Lincoln  was  strik- 
ing his  heaviest  blows,  holding  the  audience  by  his  eloquence.  The 
instant  the  second  hand  of  the  watch  reached  the  point  at  which  Lin- 
coln's time  was  up, 
Douglas  holding  up 
the  watch,  called 
out,  "Sit  down,  Lin- 
coln, sit  down!  Your 
time  is  up!"  Turn- 
ing to  Douglas,  Lin- 
coln said  calmly,  "I 
will.  I  will  quit.  I 
believe  my  time  is 
up."  "Yes,"  said  a 
voice  from  the  plat- 
form, "Douglas  has 
had  enough.  It  is 
time  to  let  up  on 
him."  On  another 
occasion,  Douglas 
attempted  to  con- 
fuse and  worry  his 
o  p  p  o  n  e  n  t  with 
smart  questions,  un- 
til Lincoln,  by  sharp 
retorts,  put  a  stop 
to    this    annoyance. 

When    the    Legis- 
ature  met  after  the 

election,  Douglas  Douglas    Interrupts    Lincoln 

was  elected  by  a  small  majority.  Lincoln  won  a  victory  for  his  party, 
but  not  for  himself.  The  Republican  State  ticket  won,  but  there  were 
not  sufficient  Republican  members  of  the  Legislature  elected  to  over- 
come the  Democratic  majority.  It  was  said  that  Lincoln  was  deeply 
grieved  by  his  defeat.  When  some  one  inquired  of  him  how  he  felt 
over  the  result,  he  answered  that  he  felt  "like  a  boy  that  stubbed  his 
toe, — it  hurt  too  bad  to  laugh,  and  he  was  too  big  to  cry." 

The  debate  with  Douglas  gave  Lincoln  a  national  reputation.  He 
was  unknown  outside  of  his  own  state.  Leading  newspapers  every- 
where published  accounts  of  the    debates. 


AFTER  THE  NOMINATION 


S6 


Lincoln    Notified — Remains    in    Springfield 

TWO  days  after  his  nomination, 
a  committee  of  distinguished 
men  came  to  Springfield  to  for- 
mally notify  Lincoln  of  his  nomi- 
nation. In  reply  to  the  notifica- 
tion speech,  Lincoln  spoke  briefly, 
and  followed  this  a  few  days  later 
with  a  brief  letter  of  acceptance. 
Lincoln's  nomination  made  very 
little  difference  in  his  daily  life. 
He  turned  his  law  practice  over 
to  his  partner,  William  H.  Hern- 
don,  employed  John  G.  Nicolay,  a 
clerk  in  the  office  of  the  Secretary 
of  State,  as  his  private  secretary, 
was  given  the  use   of  the   Gover- 


State-House,    Springfield 


nor's  room  at  the  State-House  for  an  office,  and  devoted  his  entire  time 
to  the  reception  of  visitors  and  correspondence  concerning  the  cam- 
paign. His  door  stood  always  open.  There  was  not  even  an  usher. 
Everybody  came  and  went  as  freely  as  when  he  was  a  candidate  for 
the  Legislature  or  engaged  in  his  practice.  He  was  the  same  Abraham 
Lincoln  he  had  always  been,  except  a  little  more  serious  because  of  in- 
creasing responsibilities,  and  a  little  more  dignified  because  he  was 
sensible  of  the  honor  that  had  been  conferred  upon  him;  but  his  old 
friends  detected  no  change  in  the  man,  and  dropped  in  to  exchange 
gossip  whenever  they  came  to  town.  Distinguished  visitors  came  from 
a  distance, — statesmen,  politicians,  wire-pullers,  newspaper  correspond- 
ents, men  with  great  purposes  and  ambitions,  adventurers,  and  repre- 
sentatives of  all  classes.  He  told  each  a  story  and  sent  him  away.  His 
correspondence  had  increased 
enormously  and  every  letter  re- 
ceived a  polite  reply,  but  he  main- 
tained his  policy  of  reticence  and 
gave  no  indication  of  his  plans  or 
purposes. 

When  his  neighbors  called  to  con- 
gratulate him  upon  his  election, 
Lincoln  said,  "In  all  our  rejoicing 
let  us  neither  express  nor  cherish 
any  hard  feeling  toward  any  citizen 
who  has  differed  from  us.  Let  us 
at  all  times  remember  that  all 
American  citizens  are  brothers  of 
a  common  country  and  should 
dwell  together  in  fraternal  feeling. 


36 


LIFE  OF  LINCOLN  IN  PICTURES 


Lincoln    Nominated    for   President 

THE  Republican  National  Convention  met  according  to  appointment 
at  (jnicago,  on  May  16,  I860.  A  large  temporary  wooden  Duildmg 
named  "The  Wigwam,"  had  been  erected  in  which  to  hold  its  sessions 
and  it  is  estimated  that  ten  thousand  persons  were  assembled  in  it  to 
witness  the  proceedings.  William  H.  Seward  of  New  York  was  recog- 
nized as  the  leading  candidate  for  President,  and  his  name  was  the  first 
to  be  presented  to  the  Convention;  Lincoln's  name  the  second.  Those 
delegates  who  desired  Seward's  defeat,  saw  in  the  result  of  the  first 
ballot  (Seward  173%  votes  and  Lincoln  102  votes)  the  certain  triumph 
of  Lincoln,  and  after  three  ballots  were  taken  Abraham  Lincoln  was 
nominated  for  President  and  Hannibal  Hamlin  of  Maine,  for  Vice- 
President. 

Mr.  Lincoln  said  that  he  was  "too  much  of  a  candidate  to  go  to 
Chicago  and  hardly  enough  of  one  to  stay  away,"  and  remained  in 
Springfield.  When  the  wires  flashed  news  of  his  nomination  on  Friday 
morning,  the  cry  was  repeated  on  all  sides,  "Mr.  Lincoln,  Mr.  Lincoln, 
you 
For 


are  nominated." 
a  few  moments, 
Lincoln  seemed  simply 
one  of  the  proud  and 
exultant  crowd.  Then 
he  remembered  what 
it    all    meant    and    he 


said,  "My  friends,  I  am  glad  to 
receive  your  congratulations, 
and  as  there  is  a  little  woman 
down  on  Eighth  Street  who  will 
be  glad  to  hear  the  news;  excuse 
me  until  I  inform  her." 


"•**--",*..; 


■**. 


fell  f  I     J 


The   "Wigwam"   Where  Lincoln   Was   Nominated 


LINCOLN'S  HOME   IN   SPRINGFIELD 


37 


His  Home,  His  Wife,  His  Children 

LINCOLN  lived  simply,  comfortably,  and  respectably,  with  neither 
expensive  tastes  nor  habits.  His  wants  were  few  and  simple.  He 
occupied  a  small  unostentatious  house  in  Springfield,  and  was  in  the 
habit  of  entertaining,  in  a  very  simple  way,  his  friends  and  fellow 
members  of  the  bar  during  the  terms  of  the  court  and  the  sessions  of 
the  Legislature.  Mrs.  Lincoln  often  entertained  small  numbers  of 
friends  at  dinner  and  somewhat  larger  numbers  at  evening  parties.  In 
his  modest  and  simple  home  everything  was  orderly  and  refined,  and 
there  was  always  a  hearty  welcome  for  every  guest.  Lincoln's  income 
from  his  profession  was  from  two  thousand  to  three  thousand  dollars 

thousand     dollars 
in  value. 

The  Lincolns 
had  four  chil- 
dren :  Edward 
Baker,  born 
March  10,  1846, 
who  died  in  in- 
fancy; William 
Wallace,  born 
D  e  c  e  m  b  er  21, 
1850,  died  in  the 
White  House 
February  20, 
18  6  2;  Thomas, 
familiarly  known 
as  "Tad,"  born 
April  4,  18  5  3, 
died    in   Chicago, 


a  year.  His  prop- 
erty consisted  of 
his  house  and  lot 
in  Springfield,  a 
lot  in  the  town 
of  Lincoln  which 
had  been  given 
him,  and  one 
hundred  acres  of 
wild  land  in 
Iowa,  which  he 
had  received  for 
his  services  in 
the  Black  Hawk 
War.  He  owned 
a  few  law  and 
m  i  s  c  e  1  laneous 
books.  All  his 
property  was 
less  than    twelve 


Lincoln's    Home    in    Springfield 


July     15,     1871; 

and  Robert  Todd,  the  only  survivor,  born  August  1,  1843.  He  was 
Secretary  of  War  in  the  Cabinet  of  Presidents  Garfield  and  Arthur, 
and  was  minister  to  England  under  President  Harrison. 

Mr.  Lincoln  was  very  fond  of  his  children.  He  frequently  took 
his  boys  about  with  him,  finding  more  joy  in  their  companionship  than 
among  old  associates.  He  seldom  went  to  his  office  in  the  morning 
without  carrying  his  youngest  child  down  the  street  on  his  shoulder, 
while  the  older  ones  clung  to  his  hands  or  coat-tails.  Every  child  in 
Springfield  knew  and  loved  him.  There  was  no  institution  in  the  town 
in  which  he  did  not  take  an  active  interest.  He  made  a  daily  visit  to  a 
drug  store  on  the  public  square  which  was  the  rendezvous  of  politicians 
and  lawyers,  and  on  Sunday  morning  was  always  found  in  his  pew  in 
the  First  Presbyterian  Church. 


58 


LIFE  OF  LINCOLN  IN  PICTURES 


The  Chapman   House 


Farewell  to  His  Stepmother — Visits  Dennis  Hanks 

AS  the  winter  wore  away,  and  the  time  for  Lincoln's  inauguration  as 
President  drew  near,  he  began  making  preparations  for  leaving 
the  familiar  scenes  where  his  life  had  thus  far  been  spent.  Early  in 
February  he  made  a  parting  visit  to  his  relatives  in  Coles  County.  He 
spent  a  night  at  Charleston,  where  his  cousin,  Dennis  Hanks,  and  Mrs. 
Colonel  Chapman,  a  daughter  of  Dennis,  resided.  The  following  morn- 
ing he  passed  on  to  Farmington,  to  the  home  of  his  step-mother,  who 

was    living    with     her     daughter, 
Mrs.  Moore. 

The  meeting  between  Lincoln 
and  his  step-mother,  then  an  old 
lady,  was  of  a  most  affectionate 
and       tender      character.  She 

fondled  him  as  her  own  "Abe," 
and  he  her  as  his  own  mother. 
When  parting,  she  embraced  him 
with  deep  emotion,  and  said  she 
was  sure  she  would  never  behold 
him  again,  for  she  felt  that  his  enemies  would  assassinate  him.  He 
replied,  "No,  no,  Mother;  they  will  not  do  that.  Trust  in  the  Lord  and 
all  will  be  well;  we  will  see  each  other  again." 

After  this  farewell,  Lincoln  and  Colonel  Chapman  drove  to  the 
home  of  John  Hall,  who  lived  on  the  old  Lincoln  farm,  where  Lincoln, 
as  a  young  man,  had  split  the  celebrated  rails,  and  fenced  in  the  little 
clearing  in  1830.  From  there,  they  went  to  the  spot  where  Lincoln's 
father  was  buried.  The  grave  was  unmarked  and  utterly  neglected. 
Lincoln  said  he  wanted  to  have  it 
enclosed,  and  a  suitable  tombstone 
erected,  and  then  he  gave  the  neces- 
sary instructoins  for  that  purpose. 
Upon  the  return  of  Lincoln  and 
Colonel  Chapman  to  Charleston, 
they  found  the  house  crowded  with 
people  wishing  to  see  the  President- 
elect. The  crowd  became  so  great, 
that  it  was  decided  to  hold  a  pub- 
lic reception  at  the-  Town  Hall.  Ac- 
quaintances and  friends  from  the 
surrounding  country  flocked  in  to 
meet  again  their  former  friend. 
These  all  found  Lincoln  the  same 
man  as  they  had  always  known 
him, — kind,  thoughtful,  and  con- 
siderate   of    all.  Last  Visit  to  Stepmother 


PREPARING  TO  LEAVE  SPRINGFIELD 


39 


Visit*    His    Law   Office — Lady    Presents    Stockings 

ONE  day,  while  a  group  of  visi- 
tors from  a  distance  were 
sitting  in  the  Governor's  room, 
chatting  with  Lincoln,  the  door 
opened  and  an  old  lady  in  a  big 
sunbonnet  and  the  garb  of  a  far- 
mer's wife  came  in.  "I  wanted  to 
give  you  something  to  take  to 
Washington,  Mr.  Lincoln, "  she 
said,  "and  these  are  all  I  had.  I 
spun  the  yarn  and  knit  them  socks 
myself.,,  And  with  an  air  of  pride 
she  handed  him  a  pair  of  blue 
woolen  stockings.  Lincoln  thanked 
her  for  the  gift,  inquired  after 
the  folks  at  home,  and  politely  escorted  her 
to  the  door.  Then  when  he  returned  to  the 
room,  he  picked  up  the  socks,  held  them  by 
the  toes,  one  in  each  hand,  and  said  with  a 

smile,  "The  old  lady 

got  my  latitude  and 

longitude       about 

right,    didn't    she?" 

Before  leaving 
Springfield,  Lincoln  made  a  final  visit  to  his 
law  office.     After  recalling  some  incidents  of 
his  early  practice,  he  gathered  up  a  bundle  of 
books  and  papers  he  wished  to  take  with  him, 
vand  started  to  go,  but  before  leaving  he  made 
the  request  of    Mr.    Herndon    that 
the  sfgn-board  which  swung  on  its 
rusty  hinges    at    the    foot    on    the 
stairway   should   remain.       "Let    it 
hang   there   undisturbed,"   he    said, 
"Give    our    clients    to    understand 
that    the    election    of    a    President 
makes  no  difference  in  the  firm.    If 
I   live   I'm   coming  back   sometime, 
and  then  we'll  go  right  on  practic- 
ing law  as  if  nothing  had  ever  hap- 
pened."    Lincoln  then  took  a   last 
look  at  the  old  weather-beaten  sign 

and  passed  on. 
Last  Visit  to  Law  Office 


Receives   Stockings 


40 


LIFE   OF  LINCOLN  IN  PICTURES 


Farewell   to   Springfield   Neighbors 

T  HE  start  on  the  memorable  journey  was  made  shortly  after  eight 
o'clock  on  the  morning  of  Monday,  February  11,  1861.  A  crowd 
of  friends  and  townspeople  had  gathered  at  the  station  to  bid  .  their 
distinguished  townsman  good-bye.  Working  his  way  through  the  crowd, 
Lincoln  mounted  the  platform  of  the  car,  and  turning,  stood  looking 
down  into  the  sad,  friendly  up-turned  faces.  For  a  moment  a  strong 
emotion  shook  him;  then,  removing  his  hat  and  lifting  his  hand  to 
command  silence,  he  spoke:  „ 

"My  friends,  no  one,  not  in  my  situation,  can  appreciate  my  feel- 
ing of  sadness  at  this  parting.  To  this  place,  and  the  kindness  of  these 
people,  I  owe  everything.  Here  I  have  lived  a  quarter  of  a  century, 
and  I  have  passed  from  a  young  to  an  old  man.  Here  my  children 
have  been  born  and  one  is  buried.  I  now  leave,  not  knowing  when  or 
whether  ever  I  may  return,  with  a. task  before  me  greater  than  that 

which  rested  upon  Washington. 
Without  the  assistance  of  that 


Divine  Being  who  ever  at- 
tended him,  I  cannot  succeed. 
With  that  assistance,  I  cannot  fail. 
Trusting  in  Him  who  can  go  with  me, 
and  remain  with  you,  arid  be  every- 
where for  good,  let  us  confidently  hope 
that  all  will  yet  be  well.  To  His  care 
commending  you,  I  bid  you  an  affec- 
tionate farewell." 

Lincoln's  words  that  morning  made 
a  deep  impression 
upon  his  listeners, 
and  a  sob  went 
through  the  crowd 
as  his  broken 
voice  asked  their 
prayers.  Although 
it  was  raining  fast 
when  Lincoln  be- 
gan to  speak, 
every  hat  was 
lifted  and  every 
head  bent  forward 
to  catch  the  last 
words  of  their  de- 
parting friend. 


PRESIDENT-ELECT  LEAVES  SPRINGFIELD 


41 


The   Journey    to    Washington 

THE  route  chosen  for  the  journey  to  Washington  was  a  circuitous 
one.  It  seems  to  have  been  Lincoln's  desire  to  meet  personally 
the  people  of  the  great  Northern  States  upon  whose  devotion  he  felt 
he  must  depend  for  the  success  of  his  administration.  Everywhere  he 
met  the  warmest  and  most  generous  greetings  from  the  throngs  as- 
sembled at  the  railway  stations  in  the  various  cities  through  which  he 
passed.  In  many  of  the  cities  in  which  he  stopped,  Lincoln  made  a 
brief  address  to  the  people. 

Some  of  the  more  important  stops  were  made  at  Indianapolis, 
Columbus,  Cincinnati,  Pittsburg,  Cleveland,  Buffalo,  Rochester,  Syra- 
cuse, Utica,  Albany,  New  York  City,  Trenton,  Philadelphia  and  Harris- 
burg.  While  in  Philadelphia,  Lincoln  was  invited  to  raise  the  national 
flag  over  Independence  Hall,  where  the  Declaration  of  Independence 
was  first  published  to  the  world.  Before  raising  the  flag,  he  said 
in  part: 

"I  am  filled  with  deep  emotion  at  finding  myself  standing  in  this 
place,  where  were  collected  together  the  wisdom,  the  patriotism,  the 
devotion  to  principle  from  which  sprang  the  institutions  under  which 
we  live.  You  have  kindly  suggested  to  me  that  in  my  hands  is  the  task 
of  restoring  peace  to  our  distracted  country.  I  can  say  in  return  that 
all  the  political  sentiments  I 
entertain  have  been  drawn,  so 
far  as  I  have  been  able  to  draw 
them,  from  the  sentiments 
which  originated  in,  and  were 
given  to  the  world  from,  this 
hall.  ...  It  was  not  the  mere 
matter  of  separation  of  the 
colonies  from  the  mother-land, 
but  that  sentiment  in  the  Dec- 
laration of  In- 
dependence 
which  gave  lib- 
erty, not  alone 
to  the  people  of 
this  country, 
but  hope  to  all 
the  world  for 
all  future  time, 
all  future 
time."  From 
Philadelphia  the 
President  -  elect 
went  to  Har- 
risburg. 


Meeting  the 
PeoDle  of  the 
Northern    States 


42 


LIFE  OF  LINCOLN  IN  PICTURES 


The  Inauguration  of  Lincoln 

THE  President-elect  reached  Washington  safely,  having  passed 
through  Baltimore  in  the  night.  It  was  rumored  that  there  was  a 
conspiracy  to  assassinate  him  there.  The  day  for  the  inauguration 
came.  Never  before  had  there  been  so  many  people  in  Washington. 
Soldiers  were  stationed  in  groups  along  Pennsylvania  Avenue  and  on 
the  roofs  of  buildings.  Cavalrymen  rode  behind  the  carriage  that  bore 
President  Buchanan  and  Mr.  Lincoln  from  the  Hotel  to    the    Capitol. 

Lincoln  delivered  his 
inaugural  from  a  plat- 
form erected  on  the  east 
portico  of  the  Capitol. 
He  was  introduced  by  his 
friend,  Senator  Baker  of 
Oregon.  He  carried  a 
cane  and  a  little  roll — 
the  manuscript  of  his  In- 
augural Address.  As  he 
stepped  forward  to  speak, 
Stephen  A.  Douglas,  the 
political  antagonist  of  his 
whole  public  life,  the 
man  who  had  pressed  him 
hardest  in  the  campaign 
of  1860,  took  Lincoln's 
hat,  whispering  to  a 
friend,  "If  I  can't  be 
President,  I  can  at  least 
hold  his  hat."  The  Presi- 
dent-elect closed  his  ad- 
dress   with    these    words: 

"In  your  hands,  my  dis- 
satisfied fellow-country- 
men, and  not  in  mine,  is 

the  momentous  issue  of  civil  war.  The  Government  will  not  assail  you. 
You  can  have  no  conflict  without  being  yourselves  the  aggressors.  You 
have  no  oath  registered  in  Heaven  to  destroy  the  Government;  while  I 
shall  have  the  most  solemn  one  to  'preserve,  protect,  and  defend  it.' 

"I  am  loath  to  close.  We  are  not  enemies,  but  friends.  We  must 
not  be  enemies.  Though  passion  may  have  strained,  it  must  not  break 
our  bonds  of  affection.  The  mystic  chords  of  memory,  stretching  from 
every  battlefield  and  patriot  grave  to  every  living  heart  and  hearth- 
stone all  over  this  broad  land,  will  yet  swell  the  chorus  of  the  Union 
when  again  touched,  as  surely  they  will  be,  by  the  better  angels  of  our 
nature." 


The    Inaugural    Address 


LINCOLN  AND  HIS  GENERALS 


43 


Lincoln  Visits  McClellan   After  Antietam 

LINCOLN'S  kindness  and  patience  in  dealing  with  his  generals  who 
did  not  succeed  was  most  remarkable.  First  among  these  unsuc- 
cessful generals  was  George  B.  McClellan,  who  had  been  called  to 
Washington  after  the  Battle  of  Bull  Run  and  placed  in  charge  of  the 
great  raw  army  of  three  years'  volunteers  that  was  pouring  so  rapidly 
into  the  city.  McClellan  proved  a  wonderful  organizer.  Under  his 
skillful  direction  the  raw  recruits  went  to  their  camps  of  instruction, 
fell  without  delay  or  confusion  into  brigades  and  divisions,  were  sup- 
plied with  equipment,  horses  and  batteries,  and  put  through  a  routine 
of  drill,  tactics  and  reviews  that  soon  made  this  Army  of  the  Potomac, 
as  it  was  called,  one  of  the  best  prepared  armies  the  world  has  ever 
seen — a  perfect  fighting  machine  of  over  150,000  men  and  more  than 
200  guns. 

General  McClellan  excelled  in  getting  soldiers  ready  to  fight,  but 
he  did  not  succeed  in  leading  them  to  fruitful  victory.  At  first  the 
Administration  had  great  hopes  of  him  as  a  commander.  His  rise  in 
military  rank  was  very  rapid.  He  had  been  only  a  captain  during  the 
Mexican  War.  Then  he  resigned.  Two  months  after  volunteering  for 
Civil  War  he  found  himself  a  Major-General  in  the  Regular  Army. 
Lincoln  made  many  fruitless  efforts  to  per- 
suade McClellan  to  march  with  his  army 
against  the  Confederates,  but  the  General  al- 
ways found  excuses  for  the  delay.  Finally 
General  Lee,  of  the  Southern  Army,  made  a 
march  northward,  and  McClellan  was  com- 
pelled to  follow  him.  They  met  at  Antietam, 
and  a  bloody  battle  was  fought,  with  heavy 
losses  on  both  sides, 
but  without  a  de- 
cisive victory  for 
the  North.  *  The 
President  was  great- 
ly distressed  when 
McClellan  did  not 
follow  up  the  battle 
the  following  day, 
but  allowed  Lee  to 
withdraw  his  army 
across  the  Potomac. 
Sick  at  heart  at  the 
delay,  Lincoln  paid 
a  visit  to  McClel- 
lan's  Headquarters 
to    urge    action.  Lincoln   at   McClellan's   Headquarters 


44  LIFE  OF  LINCOLN  IN  PICTURES 

The   President   and   His    Cabinet 

BEFORE  Lincoln  left  Springfield  he  had  selected  his  cabinet.  He 
decided  to  offer  posts  of  honor  to  those  who  had  been  his  rivals 
for  the  Presidential  nomination, — Seward,  Chase,  Cameron,  and 
Bates, — and  to  fill  the  remaining  places  with  representatives  of  the 
various  elements  that  had  combined  to  form  the  Republican  Party. 
William  H.  Seward,  a  Senator  from  New  York,  and  one  of  the  ablest 
public  men  of  that  day,  was  made  Secretary  of  State.  Salmon  P. 
Chase,  of  Ohio,  became  Secretary  of  the  Treasury.  Toward  the  end 
of  the  administration,  Chase  resigned,  and  was  appointed  to  the  United 
States  Supreme  Court.  Simon  Cameron,  a  political  leader  from  Penn- 
sylvania, was  appointed  Secretary  of  War.  Cameron,  however,  was  a 
great  disappointment,  and  his  conduct  of  his  office  was  so  severely 
criticised  that  he  was  soon  forced  to  resign.  Edwin  M.  Stanton  was 
chosen  his  successor,  and  became  a  great  Secretary  of  War.  He  re- 
mained in  the  Cabinet  to  the  end. 

Edward  Bates,  an  able  lawyer  from  Missouri,  was  chosen  Attor- 
ney-General, and  Montgomery  Blair,  of  Maryland,  Postmaster-Gen- 
eral. These  men  were  from  border  states,  and  were  named  to  give 
recognition  to  those  states,  and  possibly  hold  them  in  the  Union.  Gideon 
Wells,  from  Connecticut,  was  made 
Secretary  of  the   Navy,  and  became  %0P 

one   of   Lincoln's  warmest  and   most  *X0[ 

devoted    supporters    in    the    Cabinet. 


*_  * 


Secretary    Stanton    Advocating   an    Important    Measure 


LINCOLN  AND  THE  SOLDIERS 


45 


Lincoln  Pardons  the  "Sleeping  Sentry" 

WILLIAM  SCOTT  had  marched  all  day  and  then  volunteered  to 
stand  guard  duty  for  a  sick  comrade  in  addition  to  his  own.  He 
was  found  asleep  on  his  post.  He  was  courtmartialed  and  sentenced 
to  be  shot.  A  day  or  two  before  the  execution  Lincoln  happened  to 
visit  that  division  of  the  army,  and,  learning  of  the  case,  asked  permis- 
sion to  see  the  boy.  Lincoln  entered  the  tent  where  Scott  was  under 
guard,  talked  to  him  of  his  home  on  the  Vermont  farm,  his  school,  his 
mother.  As  he  was  leaving  the  tent,  Lincoln  put  his  hands  on  the  lad's 
shoulders,  and  said:  "My  boy,  you  are  not  going  to  be  shot  tomorrow. 
I  believe  you  when  you  tell  me  that  you  could  not  keep  awake.  I  am 
going  to  trust  you  and  send  you 
back  to  the  regiment.  But  I  have 
been  put  to  a  great  deal  of  trouble 
on  your  account.  I  have  had  to 
come  here  from  Washington  when 
I  had  a  great  deal  to  do.  Now, 
what  I  want  to  know  is,  how  are 
you.  going  to  pay  my  bill?" 

Young  Scott  was  surprised, 
overjoyed,  but  worried.  He  did 
not  know  how  he  could  pay  Mr. 
Lincoln.  A  President  would  need 
a  big  fee,  he  thought.  And  when, 
finally,  he  said  he  thought  the 
boys  would  club  together,  and 
perhaps  they  could  raise  five  or 
six  hundred  dollars,  the  President 
said:  "My  bill  is  a  very  large 
one.  Your  friends  cannot  pay  it, 
nor  your  bounty,  nor  the  farm, 
nor  all  your  comrades!  There  is 
only  one  man  in  all  the  world  who  can  pay  it,  and  his  name  is  William 
Scott.  If  from  this  day  William  Scott  does  his  duty,  so  that,  when  he 
comes  to  die,  he  can  look  me  in  the  face  as  he  does  now,  and  say,  I 
have  kept  my  promise,  and  I  have  done  my  duty  as  a  soldier,  then  my 
debt  will  be  paid.     Will  you  make  that  promise  and  try  to  keep  it?" 

The  promise  was  gratefully  given.  After  one  of  the  battles  of  the 
Peninsula  he  was  found  shot  to  pieces.  He  said,  "Boys,  I  have  tried 
to  do  the  right  thing!  If  any  of  you  have  the  chance,  I  wish  you  would 
tell  President  Lincoln  that  I  have  never  forgotten  the  kind  words  he 
said  to  me  at  the  Chain  Bridge;  that  I  have  tried  to  be  a  good  soldier 
and  true  to  the  flag.  Thank  him  because  he  gave  me  the  chance  to  fall 
like  a  soldier  in  battle  and  not  like  a  coward  by  the  hands  of  my 
cowards." 


Lincoln    and    the    Sentine 


46 


LIFE  OF  LINCOLN  IN  PICTURES 


Death    Enters   the   White   House 

IN  February,  1862,  at  a  time  of  darkness  and  perplexity  for  the  Union, 
President  Lincoln's  two  children,  Willie  and  Tad,  fell  ill;  when  he 
saw  them  suffering,  and  when  it  became  evident,  as  it  finally  did,  that 
Willie,  the  elder  of  the  two,  would  die,  the  President's  anguish  was  in- 
tense. He  would  slip  away  from  visitors  and  cabinet  at  every  opportun- 
ity to  go  to  the  sick  room,  and  during  the  last  four  or  five  days  of 
Willie's  life,  when  the  child  was  suffering  terribly  and  lay  in  an  un- 
broken delirium,  Mr.  Lincoln  shared  with  the  nurse  the  nightly  vigils 
at  his  bedside.  When  Willie  finally  died,  the  President  was  so  pro- 
strated that  it  was  feared  by  many  of  his  friends  that  he  would  suc- 
cumb to  his  grief.  Tad  was  a  patient,  uncomplaining  little  man  in  his 
sickness.  The  fever  was  running  its  course  favorably,  and  his  fancies 
were  gratified  if  possible.  He  was  always  content  and  happy  in  his 
father's  presence.  If  his  father's  face  was  care-worn  and  clouded  at 
the  door,  Ted  did  not  see  it;  there  was  always  a  smile  for  him  and  a 
cheery  word,  "How's  the  boy?" 


Lincoln  and  His  Sick  Boy 


LINCOLN  AND  THE  SOLDIERS 


47 


C*±> 


Visiting  with 
the   Troops 


WHILE  occupied  in  re-organizing  and  increasing  the  army,  Presi- 
dent Lincoln  did  his  best  to  improve  the  morale  of  officers  and 
men.  One  of  the  first  things  he  did,  in  fact,  after  a  battle,  was  to  run 
over  and  see  the  boys,  as  he  expressed  it.  General  Sherman,  who  was 
with  Mr.  Lincoln  on  many  of  these  occasions,  as  he  drove  about  the 
camps,  in  speaking  of  a  particular  visit,  said  that  the  President  made 
one  of  the  neatest,  best  and  most  feeling  address  he  ever  listened  to, 
and  that  its  effect  on  the  troops  was  excellent.  As  often  as  he  could 
get  away  from  his  official  duties  in  Washington,  Mr.  Lincoln  went  to 
the  Arlington  camps.  Frequently  on  these  visits,  he  left  his  carriage 
and  walked  up  and  down  the  lines  shaking  hands  with  the  men,  repeat- 
ing heartily  as  he  did  so,  "God  bless  you!     God  bless  you!" 


THE  EMANCIPATION  PROCLAMATION 


49 


Lincoln  Writes  the  First  Draft  on  the  Potomac 

LINCOLN  witnessed  the  horrors    of    slavery    on 
many  occasions  before  becoming  President.    He 
had   never   forgotten   the   impressions   he   received 
during  the  voyages  to  New  Orleans  when  a  young 
man.     While  a  member  of  Congress,  he  saw  from 
the  windows  of  the  Capitol    the    slave-markets    of 
Washington,  where  droves   of    negroes    were    col- 
lected,   temporarily    kept,    and    finally    taken    to 
Southern   markets,  precisely  like  drives  of  horses. 
These    markets 
had     been     openly 
maintained      there 
for    more     than 
fifty  years. 

Many  months 
before  the  Eman- 
cipation Proclama- 
tion was  published, 
Lincoln  was  work- 
ing out  in  his  own 
mind  the  best 
method  of  dealing 
with  the  slavery 
question.  He  of- 
fered to  compen- 
sate the  slave 
owners  of  the  bor- 
der states  if  they 
voluntarily  freed 
their  slaves.  This 
offer  was  rejected. 
He  finally  decided  upon  a  proclamation  of  emancipation. 

The  first  draft  of  the  paper  was  written  by  the  President  one  day 
as  he  was  sailing  down  the  Potomac  River  on  a  steamboat  on  the  way 
to  visit  the  army.  However,  its  preparation  extended  over  a  period  of 
weeks.  Parts  of  it  were  written  in  the  War  Department  telegraph  of- 
fice. He  said  he  was  able  to  work  there  more  quietly  and  command 
his  thoughts  better  than  at  the  White  House,  where  he  was  frequently 
interrupted.  During  this  period  of  preparation,  many  delegations  of 
ministers  and  others  were  calling  upon  the  President  demanding  that 
he  free  the  slaves.  To  all  these  appeals,  Lincoln  listened  courteously, 
but  never  wavered  in  his  determination  to  handle  the  problem  in  his 
own  way. 


Lincoln    Sailing 
Down    the 
Potomac 


50  LIFE   OF  LINCOLN  IN  PICTURES 

The  Proclamation   Issued  September  22,   1862 

NE  July  22,  1862,  Lincoln  read  to  his  Cabinet  the  first  draft  of  a 


O 


proclamation,  not  for  the  purpose  of  asking  for  their  advice,  he 
told  them,  but  for  their  information.  But  every  man  was  pledged  to 
confidence,  and  the  secret  was  so  well  kept  that  the  public  had  no  sus- 
picion of  his  intentions.  Secretary  Steward  said  he  approved  the  meas- 
ure, but  suggested  that  its  issue  be  postponed  until  the  President  could 
give  it  to  the  country  supported  by  military  success,  instead  of  issuing 
it,  as  it  would  have  been  then,  upon  the  greatest  disasters  of  the  war. 
The  President  agreed  with  Secretary  Seward,  that  if  the  proclamation 
were  issued  then,  it  would  be  considered  the  last  shriek  of  the  govern- 
ment on  the  retreat. 

During  the  months  that  followed,  the  Union  army  suffered  severe 
reverses.  Finally,  after  the  Northern  victory  at  Antietam,  and  the 
Confederates  were  driven  out  of  Maryland,  Lincoln  decided  to  issue 
the  proclamation.  On  September,  22,  1862,  he  assembled  his  War 
Cabinet  at  the  White  House,  every  member  being  present.  The  Presi- 
dent was  apparently  indifferent,  and  was  engaged  in  reading  a  little 
book,  which  seemed  to  afford  him  great  amusement.  At  last  he  turned 
to  the  Cabinet  and  said,  "Gentlemen,  did  you  ever  read  anything  from 
Artemus  Ward?  Let  me  read  you  a  chapter  that  is  very  funny."  No 
one  smiled  and  during  the  subsequent  reading  of  the  chapter,  the  mem- 
bers sat  in  annoyed  silence.  The  President  was  the  only  one  who 
loughed,  and  he  proceeded  to  read  another  chapter.  Then  he  threw 
down  the  book  with  a  sigh,  saying,  "Gentlemen  why  don't  you  laugh? 
With  the  fearful  strain  that  is  upon  me  night  and  day,  if  I  did  not 
laugh  I  should  die  and  you  need  this  medicine  as  much  as  I  do." 

Lincoln  then  pulled  a  paper  out  of  his  tall  hat,  which  was  on  the 
table,  and  addressed  the  Cabinet,  saying  that  he  had  prepared  a  paper 
of  great  importance  which  he  wished  them  to  hear.  He  then  read  them 
the  Emancipation  Proclamation,  the  final  draft  of  which  he  had  al- 
ready decided  upon,  to  take  effect  on  the  first  of  the  following  January, 
to  the  effect  that  "all  persons  held  as  slaves  within  any  State  or  desig- 
nated part  of  a  State,  the  people  whereof  shall  be  in  rebellion  against 
the  United  States,  shall  be  then  henceforward  and  forever  free." 
Stanton,  with  great  enthusiasm  rose,  grasped  the  President's  hand,  and 
said,  "Mr.  President,  if  the  reading  of  the  chapters  of  Artemus  Ward 
is  a  prelude  to  such  a  deed  as  this,  the  book  should  be  filed  among  the 
archives  of  the  nation,  and  the  author  should  be  canonized.  Hence- 
forth, I  see  the  light  and  the  country  is  saved."  Everyone  said, 
"Amen."  The  final  proclamation  was  issued  January  1,  1863.  Upon 
issuing  it,  the  President  said,  "Upon  this  act  I  invoke  the  considerate 
judgment  of  mankind  and  the  gracious  favor  of  Almighty  God."  The 
proclamation  was  hailed  with  great  joy  in  the  North,  and  silenced  much 
of  the  criticism  of  Lincoln  by  his  Northern  supporters. 


LINCOLN  IN  THE  WHITE  HOUSE 


51 


Millionaires  Ask  Protection — Neighbors  Welcomed 

LINCOLN'S  neighbors  from 
Springfield  were  always  wel- 
comed at  the  White  House,  espe- 
cially those  who  came  seeking  no 
offices  or  other  favors.  On  one 
occasion,  a  friend  called  to  see  the 
President,  who  had  great  diffi- 
culty in  getting  an  interview  be- 
cause of  the  interference  of  the 
President's  secretary,  but,  by 
chance,  Mr.  Lincoln  caught  sight 
of  the  visitor.  Immediately  he 
rushed  forward  and  grasped  his 
friend's  hand  with  a  hearty  greet- 
ing: "Billy,  I  am  glad  to  see  you. 
Come  right  in.  You  are  going  to 
stay  for  supper  with  Mary  and 
me."  The  President  sat  with  his 
friend  on  the  back  stoop  of  the 
White  House  until  long  after  mid- 
night  listening   to    all    the    news 

from  home. 

Millionaires   Want    Protection 

A  number  of  millionaires  from 
New  York  City  called  upon  the 
President  to  ask  for  protection 
when  the  "Merrimac"  escaped 
from  Hampton  Roads  and  was 
supposed  to  be  making  its  way  to 
that  port.  These  wealthy  men 
told  the  President  how  much  they 
were  worth  and  how  patriotically 
they  had  paid  their  taxes  and  sub- 
scribed for  Government  loans. 
Mr.  Lincoln  said:  "Well,  gentle- 
men, the  Government  has  no  ves- 
sel yet,  that  I  know  of,  that  can 
sink  the  "Merrimac,"  and  our  re- 
sources, both  of  money  and  credit, 
are  strained  to  the  utmost.  But 
if  I  had  as  much  money  as  you 
say  you  have  got,  I  would  find 
means  to  prevent  the  "Merrimac" 
a  Neighbor  Calls  reaching  my  property." 


Lincoln   at   Gettysburg 


A 


LINCOLN'S  ADDRESS  AT  GETTYSBURG  53 

The   President   Makes    His    Greatest   Speech 

FTER  the  Battle  of  Gettysburg,  a  portion  of  the  ground  on  which 
the  engagement  was  fought  was  purchased  by  the  State  of  Penn- 
sylvania for  a  burial-place  for  the  Union  soldiers  who  were  slain  in  that 
bloody  encounter.  The  tract  included  seventeen  and  a  half  acres  ad- 
joining the  town  cemetery.  It  was  planned  to  consecrate  the  ground 
with  imposing  ceremonies,  in  which  the  President,  accompanied  by  his 
Cabinet  and  a  large  body  of  the  military,  was  invited  to  assist.  The 
day  appointed  was  the  19th  of  November;  and  the  chief  orator  selected 
was  Massachusetts'  eloquent  citizen,  Edward  Everett.  Following  him 
it  was  expected  that  the  President  would  add  some  testimonials  in 
honor  of  the  dead. 

The  ceremonies  began  about  noon  of  the  day  appointed.  Everett's 
oration  was  a  finished  literary  production,  requiring  two  hours  for  its 
delivery,  but  the  great  orator  held  the  attention  of  his  audience 
throughout.  When  he  had  finished,  and  the  applause  that  greeted  him 
had  died  away,  the  multitude  called  loudly  for  an  address  from  Lincoln. 
With  an  unconscious  air,  the  President  came  forward  at  the  call,  and 
read,  in  a  quiet  voice  which  gradually  warmed  with  feeling,  the  follow- 
ing brief  address: 

"Fourscore  and  seven  years  ago  our  fathers  brought  forth  on  this 
continent  a  new  nation,  conceived  in  Liberty,  and  dedicated  to  the 
proposition  that  all  men  are  created  equal.  Now  we  are  engaged  in  a 
great  civil  war,  testing  whether  that  nation,  or  any  nation  so  con- 
ceived and  so  dedicated,  can  long  endure.  We  are  met  on  a  great  bat- 
tle-field of  that  war.  We  have  come  to  dedicate  a  portion  of  that  field 
as  a  final  resting-place  of  those  who  here  gave  their  lives  that  that  na- 
tion might  live.  It  is  altogether  fitting  and  proper  that  we  should  do 
this.  But  in  a  larger  sense,  we  cannot  dedicate,  we  cannot  consecrate, 
we  cannot  hallow  this  ground.  The  brave  men,  living  and  dead,  who 
struggled  here,  have  consecrated  it,  far  above  our  poor  power  to  add 
or  detract.  The  world  will  little  note  nor  long  remember  what  we  say 
here,  but  it  can  never  forget  what  they  did  here.  It  is  for  us  the  living, 
rather,  to  be  dedicated  here  to  the  unfinished  work  which  they  who 
fought  here  have  thus  far  so  nobly  carried  on.  It  is  rather  for  us  to 
be  here  dedicated  to  the  great  task  remaining  before  us,  that  from 
these  honored  dead  we  shall  take  increased  devotion  to  that  cause  for 
which  they  gave  the  last  full  measure  of  devotion;  that  we  here  highly 
resolve  that  these  dead  shall  not  have  died  in  vain;  that  this  nation, 
under  God,  shall  have  a  new  b"rth  of  freedom;  and  that  government  of 
the  people,  by  the  people,  for  the  people,  shall  not  perish  from  the 
earth."  Lincoln's  brief  oration  at  Gettysburg  ranks  with  the  noblest 
utterances  of  human  lips.  No  orator  of  ancient  or  modern  times  pro- 
duced purer  rhetoric,  more  beautiful  sentiment,  or  elegant  diction. 


LINCOLN'S  TRUST  IN  GOD  55 

Letters    Written    by   President   Lincoln 

TO  Mrs.  Bixby  of  Boston,  the  President  wrote:  "Dear  Madam: — I 
have  been  shown,  in  the  files  of  the  War  Department,  a  statement 
of  the  Adjutant-General  of  Massachusetts,  that  you  are  the  mother  of 
five  sons  who  have  died  gloriously  on  the  field  of  battle.  I  feel  how 
weak  and  fruitless  must  be  the  words  of  mine  which  should  attempt  to 
beguile  you  from  a  loss  so  overwhelming.  But  I  cannot  refrain  from 
tendering  you  the  consolation  that  may  be  found  in  the  thanks  of  the 
Republic  that  they  have  died  to  save.  I  pray  that  our  Heavenly  Izthnv 
may  assuage  the  anguish  of  your  bereavement,  and  leave  you  only  the 
cherished  memory  of  the  loved  and  lost  and  the  solemn  pride  that  must 
be  yours  to  have  laid  so  costly  a  sacrifice  upon  the  altar  of  freedom." 

To  the  Quakers  of  Iowa,  who  had  sent  President  Lincoln  an  ad- 
dress, he  wrote:  "It  is  most  cheering  and  encouraging  for  me  to  know 
that  in  the  efforts  which  I  have  made,  and  am  making,  for  the  restora- 
tion of  a  righteous  peace  to  our  country,  I  am  upheld  and  sustained  by 
the  good  wishes  and  prayers-  of  God's  people.  No  one  is  more  deeply 
aware  than  myself  that  without  His  favor  our  highest  wisdom  is  but 
as  foolishness,  and  our  most  strenuous  efforts  would  avail  nothing  in 
the  shadow  of  His  displeasure." 

Speaking  of  the  Springfield  clergy  who  refused  to  support  him, 
Lincoln  said:  "I  know  there  is  a  God,  and  He  hates  injustice  and  slav- 
ery. I  see  the  storm  coming,  and  I  know  His  hand  is  in  it.  If  He  has 
a  place  and  work  for  me,  and  I  think  He  has,  I  believe  I  am  ready.  I 
am  nothing,  but  truth  is  everything;  I  know  I  am  right,  because  I  know 
that  liberty  is  right,  for  Christ  teaches  it,  and  Christ  is  God." 

When  President  Lincoln  called  on  General  Sickles  in  the  hospital, 
he  said  to  him:  "In  the  pinch  of  your  campaign  up  there  (Gettysburg) 
when  everybody  seemed  panic-stricken  and  nobody  could  tell  what  was 
going  to  happen,  I  went  up  to  my  room  one  day  and  locked  the  door, 
and  got  down  on  my  knees  before  Almighty  God  and  prayed  to  Him 
mightily  for  a  victory  at  Gettysburg.  I  told  God  that  if  we  were  to  win 
the  battle,  He  must  do  it,  for  I  had  done  all  I  could.  I  told  Him  that 
was  His  war,  and  our  cause  was  His  cause.  And  then  and  there  made 
a  solemn  vow  to  Almighty  God  that  if  He  would  stand  by  our  boys  at 
Gettysburg  I  would  stand  by  Him,  and  he  did,  and  I  will." 

Lincoln  wrote  to  his  step-brother  concerning  his  father  who  was 
then  very  ill:  "He  (God)  notes  the  fall  of  a  sparrow,  and  numbers  the 
hairs  of  our  heads,  and  He  will  not  forget  the  dying  man  who  puts  his 
trust  in  Him.  Say  to  him  (his  father)  that  if  we  could  meet  now  it  is 
doubtful  whether  it  would  not  be  more  painful  than  pleasant;  but  that 
if  it  be  his  lot  to  go  now,  he  will  soon  have  a  joyous  meeting  with  the 
many  loved  ones  gone  before,  and  whence  the  rest  of  us,  through  the 
help  of  God,  hope  ere  long  to  join  them." 


0. 

0) 

u 


LINCOLN  RE-ELECTED  PRESIDENT  57 

Inaugurated  President   for   Second  Term,  March  4,    1865. 

THE  National  Republican  Convention  which  met  in  Baltimore  on  the 
8th  of  June,  1864,  adopted  resolutions  heartily  approving  the 
course  of  .the  Administration  and  nominated  Abraham  Lincoln  as  its 
candidate  for  President  for  another  term.  Andrew  Johnson,  of  Tenn- 
essee, was  nominated  for  Vice-President.  In  his  acceptance  of  the 
nomination,  Lincoln  said,  with  the  most  delicate  modesty,  "I  view  this 
call  to  a  second  term  as  in  no  wise  more  flattering  to  myself  than'  as 
an  expression  of  the  public  judgment  that  I  may  better  finish  a>  diffi- 
cult work  than  could  one  less  severely  schooled  to  the  task/'  In 
November  following  Lincoln  was  re-elected,  having  received  the  elec- 
toral votes  of  every  loyal  State  but  three.  On  March  4th,  1865,  he  was 
inaugurated  President  for  the  second  time.  He  closed  his  address  with 
the  following  words: 

"Neither  party  expected  for  the  war  the  magnitude  or  the  dura- 
tion which  it  has  already  attained.  Neither  anticipated  that  the  cause 
of  the  conflict  might  cease  when,  or  even  before,  the  conflict  itself 
should  cease.  Each  looked  for  an  easier  triumph,  and  a  result  less 
fundamental  and  astounding.  Both  read  the  same  Bible,  and  pray  to 
the  same  God,  and  each  invoke  His  aid  against  the  other.  It  may  seem 
strange  that  any  men  should  dare  to  ask  a  just  God's  assistance  in 
wringing  their  bread  from  the  sweat  of  other  men's  faces;  but  let  us 
judge  not,  that  we  be  not  judged.  The  prayer  of  both  could  not  be 
answered.  That  of  neither  has  been  answered  fully.  The  Almighty 
has  His  own  purposes.  'Woe  unto  the  world  because  of  offenses,  for 
it  must  needs  be  that  offenses  come,  but  woe  to  that  man  by  whom  the 
offense  cometh.'  If  we  shall  suppose  that  American  slavery  is  one  of 
those  offenses,  which,  in  the  Providence  of  God,  must  needs  come,  but 
which,  having  continued  through  His  appointed  time,  He  now  wills  to 
remove,  and  that  He  gave  to  North  and  South  this  terrible  war,  as  the 
woe  due  to  those  by  whom  the  offense  came,  shall  we  discern  therein 
any  departure  from  those  Divine  attributes  which  the  believers  in  a 
living  God  always  ascribe  to  Him?  Fondly  do  we  hope,  fervently  do 
we  pray,  that  this  mighty  scourge  of  war  may  speedily  pass  away.  Yet 
if  God  wills  that  it  continue  until  all  the  wealth  piled  by  the  bondman's 
two  hundred  and  fifty  years  of  unrequited  toil  shall  be  sunk,  and  until 
every  drop  of  blood  drawn  by  the  lash  shall  be  paid  by  another  drawn 
with  the  sword,  as  was  said  three  thousand  years  ago,  so  still  it  must 
be  said,  'The  judgments  of  the  Lord  are  true  and  righteous  altogether.' 

"With  malice  toward  none,  with  charity  for  all,  with  firmness  in 
the  right,  as  God  gives  us  to  see  the  right,  let  us  strive  on  to  finish  the 
work  we  are  in;  to  bind  up  the  nation's  wounds;  to  care  for  him  who 
shall  have  borne  the  battle,  and  for  his  widow  and  for  his  orphan;  to 
do  all  which  may  achieve  and  cherish  a  just  and  lasting  peace  among 
ourselves  and  with  all  nations." 


58 


LIFE  OF  LINCOLN  IN  PICTURES 


President    Lincoln 
andnGeneral   Grant 


The  President  Meets  General  Grant  for  the  First  Time 

WHILE  the  President  was  having  his  troubles  with  his  generals  in 
the  East,  a  silent  man  was  winning  great  victories  for  the  North 
in  the  West.  His  name  was  Ulysses  S.  Grant.  Although  a  West  Point 
graduate,  he  found  it  difficult  in  the  beginning  to  get  an  appointment. 
He  lacked  political  influence.     His  success  in  winning  battles  brought 

him  to  the  notice  of 
the  President.  After 
he  had  taken  Forts 
Henry  and  Donald- 
son, he  was  pro- 
moted to  a  Major- 
General  and  put  at 
the  head  of  the 
armies  of  the  West. 
To  those  who  op- 
posed this,  Lincoln 
said,  "I  can't  spare 
this  man.  He 
fights." 

President  Lincoln 
saw  Grant  for  the 
first  time  when  the 
General  called  at 
the  White  House, 
on  the  9th  of  March,  1864,  to  receive 
his  commission  constituting  him 
Lieutenant-General  of  the  armies. 
In  presenting  the  commission,  Lin- 
coln said,  "As  the  country  herein 
trusts  you,  so,  under  God,  it  will 
sustain  you.  I  scarcely  need  add 
that,  with  what  I  here  speak  for  the 
nation,  goes  my  own  hearty  personal  concurrence. "  Grant  replied,  "I 
feel  the  full  weight  of  the  responsibility  now  devolving  upon  me;  and  I 
know  that  if  they  are  met  it  will  be  due  to  those  armies,  and  above  all 
to  the  favor  of  Providence  which  leads  both  nations  and  men." 

At  the  dedication  of  the  Lincoln  monument  General  Grant  said  of 
Lincoln:  "To  know  him  personally  was  to  love  him  and  respect  him 
triotism.  With  all  his  disappointments  from  failures  on  the  part  of 
those  to  whom  he  had  intrusted  commands,  and  treachery  on  the  part 
of  those  who  had  gained  his  confidence  but  to  betray  it,  I  never  heard 
him  utter  a  complaint,  nor  cast  a  censure,  for  bad  conduct  or  bad  faith. 
It  was  his  nature  to  find  excuses  for  his  adversaries.  In  his  death  the 
nation  lost  is  greatest  hero;  in  his  death  the  South  lost  its  just  friend." 


LAST  DAYS  OF  THE  CONFEDERACY 


59 


Lincoln    Visits    Richmond    After    Its    Capture 

LINCOLN  was  at  City  Point,  the  headquarters  of  of  General  Grant, 
when  he  heard  of  the  capture  of  Richmond  and  the  fire  that  con- 
sumed a  large  part  of  the  city.  He  exclaimed,  'Thank  God  that  I  have 
lived  to  see  this!  I  want  to  see  Richmond."  The  same  day,  accom- 
panied by  Admiral  Porter,  but  without  a  military  escort  of  any  kind, 
he     went     up     the 

river    and     landed  -^ 

at  a  wharf  near 
L  i  b  b  y  Prison. 
There  were  some 
negroes  there  dig- 
ging with  spades. 
Their  leader  was 
an  old  man.  He 
raised  himself  up 
as  the  President 
landed  and  put  his 
hands  up  to  his 
eyes.  Then  he 
dropped  his  spade 
and  sprang  for- 
ward. 

"Bress  de  Lord," 
he  said,  "dere  is 
the  great  Messiah! 
I  knowed  him  as 
soon  as  I  seed 
him.  He's  been 
in  my  heart  fo'long 
years,  an'  he's 
cum  at  las'  to  free 
his  chillin'  from 
deir    bondage  ; 

Glory,  Hallelujah!"  And  he  fell  on  his  knees  before  the  President  and 
kissed  his  feet.  The  others  followed  his  example,  and  as  Mr.  Lincoln 
looked  down  at  the  grateful  people  at  his  feet,  he  said,  "Don't  kneel  to 
me.  That  is  not  right.  You  must  kneel  to  God  only,  and  thank  Him 
for  the  liberty  you  will  hereafter  enjoy.  I  am  but  God's  humble  in- 
strument; but  you  may  rest  assured  that  as  long  as  I  live  no  one  shall 
put  a  shackle  on  your  limbs,  and  you  shall  have  all  the  rights  which 
God  has  given  to  every  other  free  citizen  of  this  Republic."  Lincoln 
had  been  in  Richmond  only  a  few  minutes  when  the  streets  seemed  to 
be  suddenly  alive  with  colored  people.  They  seemed  to  spring  from 
the  earth  everywhere. 


Linco 


60 


LIFE  OF  LINCOLN  IN  PICTURES 


Lincoln   Visits   the  Davis   Mansion 

THE  throng  of  colored  people  that  greeted  Lincoln  in  Richmond 
finally  became  so  oppressive  that  it  was  necessary  to  surround  him 
with  a  guard  to  prevent  him  from  being  crushed  to  death.  This  was 
hurriedly  made  up  from  members  of  the  boat  crew  with  bayonets  fixed 
to  their  rifles.  At  length  the  President  spoke.  "My  poor  friends,"  he 
said,  "You  are  free — tree  as  the  air.  You  can  cast  off  the  name  of 
slave  and  trample  upon  it;  it  will  come  to  you  no  more.  Liberty  is 
your  birth-right.  God  gave  it  to  you  as  He  gave  it  to  others.  But  you 
must  try  to  deserve  this  priceless  boon.  Let  the  world  see  that  you 
merit  it,  and  are  able  to  maintain  it  by  your  good  works.  Don't  let 
your  joy  carry  you  into  excesses.  Learn  the  laws  and  obey  them;  obey 
God's  commandments,  and  thank  Him  for  giving  you  liberty,  for  to 
Him  you  owe  all  things." 

The  procession  finally  reached  the  mansion  from  which  Jefferson 
Davis  had  taken  his  quick  departure  the  previous  Sunday.  President 
Lincoln  wearily  ascended  the  steps  and  by  chance  dropped  into  the 
very  chair  usually  occupied  by  Mr.  Davis  when  at  his  writing  table. 
The  President  remained  two  days  in  Richmond  carefully  going  over 
the  situation  and  discussing  the  best  means  of  restoring  Union  author- 
ity, and  dealing  with  the  individuals  who  had  been  in  insurrection.  He 
was  emphatic  in  his  opinion.  The  terms  must  be  liveral.  "Get  them  to 
plowing  once,"  he  said,  "and  gathering  in  their  own  little  crops,  eating 
pop-corn  at  their  own  firesides,  and  you  can't  get  them  to  shoulder  a 
musket  again  for  half  a  century.     If  Grant  is  wise  he  will  leave  them 

their  guns  to  shoot  crows  with  and  their 
horses  to  plow  with;  it    would    do    no 
harm."     Leaving  the  Davis  mansion  to 
return  to  City  Point,  the  President  was 
driven  through  the   streets  of  the  city, 
taking     a      hasty 
glance  at  the  scene 
of    desolation      and 
woe.       He    was    es- 
corted   by    a    guard 
JKp  of  troops   furnished 
SrMii  ky  the  military  Gov- 
,:*  ernor.      City     Point 
was    the     headquar- 
ters   of    General 
Grant.    While  there, 
the    President    con- 
tinued    to     receive 
news    of     further 
Leaving  the  Davis  Mansion  to  Return  to  City  Point  Union    victories. 


LAST  DAYS  OF  THE  WAR 


61 


Lincoln's   Last   Speech 

IN  celebration  of  the  great  victory,  on  Tuesday  evening,  April  11, 
the  White  House,  the  Executive  Department  and  many  of  the  busi- 
ness places  and  private  residences  in  Washington  were  illuminated, 
bon-fires  were  kindled,  and  fireworks  set  off.  A  vast  mass  of  citizens 
crowded  about  the  Executive  Mansion,  as  Lincoln  appeared  at  the  his- 
toric East  window  and  made  his  last  speech  to  the  American  public. 
He  said  in  part:  "We  meet  this  evening  not  in  sorrow,  but  in  gladness 
of  heart.  In  the  midst  of  this,  however,  He  from  whom  all  blessings 
flow  must  not  be  forgotten.  Nor  must  those  whose  harder  part  gives 
us  the  cause  of  rejoicing  be  overlooked.  To  General  Grant,  his  skillful 
officers  and  brave  men,  all  belongs.  The  gallant  navy  stood  ready,  but 
was  not  in  reach  to  take  active  part." 


§ 


M 


<2j    c-i 

t?  oa  fry 


)•%. 


Lincoln's   Last 

Speech   to   His 

Countrymen 


62 


Ford' 


LIFE  OF  LINCOLN  IN  PICTURES 
The   Assassination    of    President   Lincoln 

THE  President,  Mrs.  Lincoln,  and  Gen- 
eral and  Mrs.  Grant  had  accepted  a 
box  at  Ford's  Theatre,  and,  the  fact  hav- 
ing been  announced  in  the  newspapers, 
there  was  a  large  attendance.  At  the  last 
minute,  General  Grant  changed  his  mind 
and  took  a  train  for  New  York  instead. 
Mrs.  Lincoln  invited  Miss  Harris  and  Major 
Rathbone  to  take  the  vacant  places,  and 
the  party  arrived  at  the  theatre  shortly 
after  the  curtain  rose.  About  ten  o'clock 
John  Wilkes  Booth,  a  dissipated  young 
actor  and  fanatical  sympathizer  of  the 
South,  pushed  his  way  through  the  crowd 
to  the  President's  box,  showed  a  card  to 
the  usher  who  had  been  placed  at  the  door 
to  keep  out  inquisitive  people,  and  was 
The  eyes  of  the  President  and  his  companions  were 

Carrying  a 


Theatre 

allowed  to  enter. 

fixed  upon  the  stage,  so  that  his  entrance  was  unnoticed, 
knife  in  his  left  hand,  Booth  approached  within  arm's  length  of  the 
President  and  fired  a  pistol;  dropping  that  weapon,  he  took  the  knife 
in  his  right  hand  and  struck  savagely  at  Major  Rathbone,  who  caught 
the  blow  upon  his  left  arm,  receiving  a  deep  wound.  Booth  then  vaulted 
over  the  railing  of  the  box  upon  the  stage, 
but  his  spur  caught  in  the  folds  of  the 
drapery  and  he  fell,  breaking  his  leg. 
Staggering  to  the  foot  lights,  he  bran- 
ished  his  knife  and  shouted,  "Sic  semper 
tyrannis."  He  then  quickly  disappeared 
between  the  flies. 
Major  Rathbone 
shouted,  "Stop 
him!"  It  was  sev- 
eral seconds  before 
the  actors  upon  the 
stage  and  the  audi- 
ence realized  what 
had  happened. 
The  President  was 
carried  across  the 
street  and  laid  upon" 
a  bed  in  a  small 
house,  where  Mrs. 
Lincoln  followed. 

The  Assassination 


At  the  Bedside  of  the   Dying  President 


64  LIFE  OF  LINCOLN  IN  PICTURES 

President   Died   April    15,    1865 — The   Funeral   Services 

THE  first  floor  of  the  house  where  Lincoln  had  just  been  carried 
after  his  assassination  was  composed  of  three  rooms,  opening  on 
the  same  corridor.  It  was  in  the  third,  a  small  room,  where  the  dying 
man  lay.  His  face,  lighted  by  a  gas  jet,  under  which  the  bed  had  been 
removed,  was  pale  and  livid.  His  body  had  already  the  rigidity  of 
death.  At  intervals  only  the  still  audible  sound  of  his  breathing  could 
be  fairly  heard,  and  at  intervals,  again,  it  would  be  lost  entirely.  The 
surgeons  did  not  entertain  hope  that  he  might  recover  a  moment's  con- 
sciousness. Judge  William  T.  Otto,  a  thirty  years'  friend  of  Mr.  Lin- 
coln's, was  standing  at  the  bedside  holding  his  hand;  around  the  bed 
stood  also  the  Attorney-General,  Mr.  Speed,  and  the  Rev.  Mr.  Gurney, 
pastor  of  the  church  Mr.  Lincoln  usually  attended.  Leaning  against 
the  wall  stood  Mr.  Stanton,  who  gazed  now  and  then  at  the  dying  man's 
face,  and  who  seemed  overwhelmed  with  emotion.  From  time  to  time 
he  wrote  telegrams,  or  gave  orders  which,  in  the  midst  of  the  crisis, 
assured  the  preservation  of  peace.  The  remaining  members  of  the 
Cabinet,  and  several  senators  were  pacing  up  and  down  the  corridor. 
At  last  toward  seven  o'clock  in  the  morning,  the  surgeon  announced 
that  death  was  at  hand;  and  at  twenty  minutes  after  seven  the  pulse 
ceased  beating.  Mr.  Stanton  approached  the  bed,  closed  Mr.  Lincoln's 
eyes,  and  drawing  the  sheet  over  the  dead  man's  head  uttered  these 
words  in  a  low  voice,  "Now  he  belongs  to  the  ages." 

On  Wednesday,  April  19th,  the  funeral  of  the  dead  President  took 
place  at  the  White  House  in  the  midst  of  an  assemblage  of  the  chief 
men  of  the  nation.  From  the  Executive  Mansion,  the  President  was 
carried  to  the  Capitol,  in  the  Rotunda  of  which,  he  lay  in  state  for  one 
day,  guarded  by  a  company  of  high  officers  of  the  army  and  navy.  The 
funeral  train  left  Washington  two  days  later,  and  traversed  nearly  the 
same  route  that  had  been  passed  over  by  the  train  that  bore  him,  as 
President-elect,  from  Springfield  to  Washington,  four  years  before.  It 
was  a  funeral  unique,  wonderful.  Nearly  two  thousand  miles  were 
traversed;  the  people  lined  the  entire  distance,  almost  without  interval, 
standing  with  uncovered  heads,  mute  with  grief,  as  the  funeral  train 
swept  by. 

It  was  on  May  4th,  fifteen  days  after  the  funeral  in  Washington, 
that  Abraham  Lincoln's  remains  finally  rested  in  Oakland  Cemetery,  a 
shaded  and  beautiful  spot,  two  miles  from  Springfield.  Here  at  the 
foot  of  a  woody  knoll,  a  vault  had  been  prepared,  in  which  Lincoln  was 
placed.  By  his  side  was  his  little  son  Willie,  whose  casket  had  been 
removed  from  Washington  with  that  of  his  father.  The  ceremonies  at 
Springfield  were  attended  by  a  great  concourse  of  military  and  civil 
dignitaries,  by  the  governors  of  States,  members  of  Congress,  officers 
of  the  army  and  navy,  and  many  delegations  from  cities,  from  churches, 
by  the  friends  of  his  youth,  his  young  manhood,  and  his  maturer  years. 


UNIVERSITY  OF  ILLINOIS-URBANA 

973.7L63BV46L  C001 

THE  LIFE  OF  ABRAHAM  LINCOLN,  AS  TOLD  IN 


3  0112  031792283 


